Meshell Ndegèocello
Plantation Lullabies

In 1993, a young bassist and multi-instrumentalist named Michelle Lynn Johnson was signed by pop-star Madonna for the budding record label Maverick. Thus was born the debut album "Plantation Lullabies" and from then on the young African American artist adopted the unpronounceable stage name Meshell Ndegèocello, which translated from Swahili means "Michelle free as a bird". And indeed, her music is free, from labels and the rigid rules of the music market.

For this stunning debut, Meshell dispenses jazz, funk, hip-hop, and spoken words along with poetry-rich lyrics that range from love, sex, and social/afrocentric themes.

The funk comes out in tracks like I'm Digging You (Like An Old Soul Record), If That's Your Boyfriend, and Shoot'n Up and Gett'n Up while Dred Loc and Step Into The Projects have a more jazzy flavor.

Also unmissable are the catchy r&b of Call Me and smooth ballads like Outside Your Door and Sweet Love, the latter with a reggae-like mood.

We can consider "Plantation Lullabies" as an album that anticipates the so-called neo-soul trend, which in the following years will see major figures like D'Angelo and Erykah Badu among others. Meshell Ndegèocello will earn over time the esteem of colleagues such as Prince, Alanis Morrisette, and various names from the jazz world, and this debut marks the beginning of a career of remarkable albums in which she will experiment with new styles and new formulas.