Record Boy Ink:

When you’re a superhero in the music business you get inundated with new music. Record Boy somehow manages to listen to EVERYTHING that enters his record lair. It is however, a rare CD that gets a second listen. Even rarer is a CD that Record Boy will live with for months in order to digest it properly.

Meshell Ndegeocello’s album “Bitter” (Maverick) has been a companion of mine for months now. This collection of songs about relationships is so personal that it borders on voyeurism. What allows the listener to not feel guilty about eavesdropping is the combination of Meshell’s powerful delivery and some fantastic music.

Strings wash over you as Meshell decries faithless lovers as well as when she extols the virtues of other lovers. In this mix they could very well be the same person. She goes from the contentment of “Satisfy” right into the title track. Here are those lyrics:

You push me away bitterly

My apologies fall on deaf ears

And now your eyes-they look at me

Bitterly

I stand ashamed amidst my foolish pride

‘cause for us there’ll be no more

For us there’ll be no more

And now my eyes look at you bitterly

Bitterly bitterly

Meshell is aided by a large cast of musicians that include Doyle Bramhall II and ex-revolution members Wendy and Lisa and a tremendous production effort by Craig Street. She does a moving cover of Hendrix’s “May This Be Love”, discusses Sincerity, Loyalty, Betrayal, infatuation, regret and redemption, all in under 48 minutes!

This is an album that comes from deep within the soul of an artist and her struggle to love and be loved. How often does an artist spill out such raw emotion on top of some great music and create a sweeping statement about life? Record Boy is reminded of albums like John Lennon’s Plastic Ono album , Marianne Faithfull’s  “Broken English” and the stark “Tonight’s The Night” by Neil Young.

I do not use the “C” word lightly. In fact I haven’t used that word in any of my reviews, but I’ve decided the word fits here. “Bitter” is a classic album that anyone who has ever struggled in their own relationships can appreciate and anyone who loves great music should own.