Meshell Ndegeocello has shared the passionate and moving live performance of the song “Trouble.” The song is featured on Ndegeocello’s most recent album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin. The entire album is dedicated to activist James Baldwin.
The deeply emotional piece “Trouble” is beautifully done in the new video. The video features a tearfully masterful performance featuring heavenly backup singers and a black and white visual. With spoken word poetry and church-like passion, the Blue Note album has brought new understandings of systematic racism.
The Grammy award winner describes the album, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin as a testament of self-discovery, saying, “It came when I was ready to look in the mirror. I’ve had to play Plantation Lullabies at a few shows. Looking back, I had an interesting perspective, but the dialogue was limited. It was more like a cathartic experience for a young person of color, whereas now I’m going, ‘How can I get us all to love each other? How can I get us all to see this for what it is?”
Critic Hilton Als describes the sound, saying, “The music you hear in No More Water, is Jimmy talking to Meshell and his words meeting the language of her sounds and then coming out again through a multitude of voices, a multitude of sounds and thoughts that bring Jimmy back and give him—finally—his whole and true self, that which he offered up, time and again, if only we knew then how to listen.” Which is incredibly relevant when listening to the live performance of “Trouble.” When you feel the music and the contrast with the spoken word, directly referencing Baldwin’s The Fire Next Time.
The album features additional hits, such as, “Love” and “Thus Sayeth The Lorde” that capture the united message and similar sound. Additionally, Ndegeocello is on tour, meaning the exclusive live performance of “Trouble” will be taken globally.
MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO 2024 TOUR DATES:
08/02/2024 – Brooklyn, NY – BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn
08/04/2024 – Newport, RI – Newport Jazz Festival
08/07/2024 – Denver, CO – Denver Botanic Gardens
08/08/2024 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
09/15/2024 – Santa Fe, NM – New Mexico Jazz Festival
09/16/2024 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM
09/20/2024 – Somerville, MA – The Center for the Arts at the Armory
09/21/2024 – Albany, NY- Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center
09/22/2024 – Columbus, OH – Wexner Center for the Arts
09/26/2024 – Iowa City, IA – Infinite Dream Festival
09/28/2024 – Madison, WI – Wisconsin Union Theater
09/29/2024 – Fish Creek, WI – Door Community Auditorium
10/03/2024 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live
10/05/2024 – North Bethesda, MD – The Music Center at Strathmore
10/06/2024 – Newark, NJ – New Jersey Performing Arts Center
10/31/2024 – Lausanne, Switzerland – JazzOnze+ Festival Lausanne
11/01/2024 – Enjoy Jazz-Alte Feuerwache – Mannheim, Germany
11/03/2024 – Cologne, Germany – Stadtgarten Konzertsaal
11/04/2024 – Cologne, Germany – Stadtgarten Konzertsaal
11/06/2024 – Berlin, Germany – Musikbrauerei
11/07/2024 – Berlin, Germany – Musikbrauerei
11/09/2024 – Groningen, Netherlands – Rockit Festival
11/10/2024 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Le Guess Who? Festival
11/11/2024 – Antwerp, Belgium – De Roma
11/12/2024 – Paris, France – New Morning
11/13/2024 – Paris, France – New Morning
11/15/2024 – London, United Kingdom – Koko
12/02/2024 – Seattle, WA – Jazz Alley
12/03/2024 – Seattle, WA – Jazz Alley
12/04/2024 – Seattle, WA – Jazz Alley
12/05/2024 – Seattle, WA – Jazz Alley
12/07/2024 – Minneapolis, MN – Walker Art Center
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