Bitter

Japanese Version featuring a Bonus Track: Wasted Time (Alternate Version).

Me'Shell Ndegeocello's music is the most sublime of the new school of American funk and soul. In a marked departure from her previous offerings, Bitter is a dark, moody, and soulful album that displays Ndegeocello's creative evolution as she explores new depths of emotion in her music. --Michael Wells

The angular, sensual funk-rock blend of Me'Shell Ndegeocello's 1996 Peace Beyond Passion here gives way to a hushed confessional mood that recalls classics by Joni Mitchell and Rosanne Cash. Ndegeocello puts her formidable bass skills far off to the side here--there's rarely even an electric guitar to be heard on these tracks--in favor of a mix often dominated by a small string section. Occasionally overripe, as on a cover of Hendrix's "May This Be Love," Bitter is nonetheless an intriguing take on one woman's love, confusion, and ultimately, hope. --Rickey Wright