Review:

on 2010-05-12 jakekingston Said:

I've been a fan of Me'Shell Ndegeocello's since I saw her kicking ass back in '94 with a white t, slamming the best frickin' basslines, and singing: "Maybe you're just one stuck up bitch, maybe he needed a little change, a switch. Who am I not to oblige 'specially if the man is fly so, call me what you like, while I boot-slam your boyfriend tonight", to a bunch of over-obsessed and fragile women speaking about their hurt experiences when their man cheats on them. Me'Shell is the epitome of feminist statements and there was a whole mess of crap going on in that video. 17 years and 7 albums later, Me'Shell is still impressing but the hard-ass edge is gone, replaced with a stoic knowledgable insight that comes from the life Me'Shell has had. She's not targetting anyone in Devil's Halo, but rather painting a picture. The need to self-reflect must surely be gone considering the intensity to which she's exposed herself in previous albums. This is Me'Shell the musician, and what a musician! The album is short and concise, about a half-hour long, with 12 stellar tracks. No fluttering acid-rock-jazz intros or breaks, the kind that dominated The World Made Me The Man of My Dreams. What transpires in this formidable effort is straight-laced real-time R&B rock, the genre that Me'Shell has mastered and does best. Of particular highlight is Blood on the Curb.
Rating: 10/10