Weather

Meshell Ndegeocello’s ninth release burns with a quiet fire. Emotionally charged and sonically rich, Weather is an intimate recording supported by complex arrangements that ride along with her elastic bass playing and powerful, versatile voice. She sounds vulnerable and raw on the heartrending piano ballad “Oyster,” defiant on “Rapid Fire,” and sultry on “Crazy and Wild” and the title track. Slowing the tempo to a crawl, she smolders through the sparse and haunting “Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear” and “Feeling for the Wall,” as if struggling to contain her emotions. “Dirty World” and “Dead End,” two soulful uptempo numbers, offer relief from the album’s dark undercurrent, as does a tender cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Chelsea Hotel.” Produced by Joe Henry, the album is a study in control and subtlety as it finds a perfect pitch between the experimental and pop-oriented sides of her musical personality.