Meshell Ndegeocello returned to Seattle last night to present a set of Gil Scott-Heron material, only 8 months after her last appearance at the Triple Door. She was touring with the same band, with the exception of Keefus Ciancia on keyboards, whose absence was striking. With just bass, drums, and guitar for instrumentation, the songs were given room to breathe, and were more rock and roll than I previously thought.
She appeared confident and comfortable, and was eager(!) to talk in between songs, explaining why each song mattered to her. She was engaging and often funny. The band was in top form, too, and served the material well. Highlights included a very funky take on Who’ll Pay Reparations on My Soul?, an updated The Revolution Will Not be Televised (including pointed lyrics about Sarah Palin and President Obama – “frankly, he’s not that revolutionary”), an extended instrumental ending to Lola, and a short acoustic set featuring just her vocals and guitar on Grace and Beautiful.
As usual, she surprised and challenged the listeners, and provided yet another glimpse into her incredible musical world. If you are able to catch any remaining dates on this tour, I highly recommend doing so, as “The revolution will not be televised…the revolution is gonna be live.”
Set list
Gil’s music:
Where Did the Night Go
The Bottle
Whitey on the Moon
Who’ll Pay Reparations on My Soul?
Cannon Fodder (a song by Eugene McDaniels)
Peace Go With You, Brother (instrumental set to a taped lecture of Dr. Cornel West)
Free Will
Home is Where the Hatred is
The Revolution Will Not be Televised
Meshell’s music:
Die Young
Love You Down
Lola
Grace
Beautiful
Faithful
White Girl
Outside Your Door (encore)
Buy it
Meshell’s music available at Amazon
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010
Song
New York is Killing Me by Gil Scott-Heron
Back story
Gil Scott-Heron has an ambitious new recording, I’m New Here, his first in 16 years. For those unfamiliar with his work, he is a poet and proto-rapper who began recording some 40 years ago. Unflinching in his commentary of race relations, politics, and life in America, he is a unique and authoritative voice. Many of today’s neo-soul and hip-hop artists owe a great deal to his pioneering work.
Why this song
New York is Killing Me is the funkiest Gil Scott-Heron song I’ve heard in a long time. It features a minimal handclap backbeat, sparse percussion, background vocals by the Harlem Gospel Choir, and not much else, which leaves plenty of room for Gil’s words to resonate. Totally reinvented from a John Lee Hooker number, “T.B. is Killing Me,” it took me a few listens to fully appreciate, but now I think it’s among his best work since “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.”
Check it out
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2010
Follow me on Twitter 
Recent Comments