Joy Keys chats with Musician Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell Ndegeocello was born Michelle Johnson in Berlin, Germany and raised in Washington DC.By the early 90's, she had landed in New York armed with a demo recorded in her bedroom, joined the Black Rock Coalition, and was soon signed to Madonna's label. Her records, 8 to date, have offered lyrical ruminations on race, love, sex, betrayal, God, and power, and she has simultaneously embraced and challenged listeners with her refusal to be pigeon-holed musically or personally. Genre defiant, Meshell has been celebrated for choosing the road less traveled - a winding adventure through her own musical ambitions rather than the industry formulas. Along the way, she has earned diehard fans, critical acclaim, the unfailing respect of fellow players, songwriters and composers, and 10 Grammy award nominations. http://www.meshell.com

Devil’s Halo, Meshell's 8th album and her first for Mercer Street, harkens back to the way records used to be made: no click track or electronic synthetics, with a focus on musicianship and live band energy. Meshell feels that Devil’s Halo represents a return to a place that she truly appreciates, music that is created and performed by people's hands. Produced by Meshell and guitarist Chris Bruce, and influenced by a wide breadth of sounds from The Human League to Wu Tang to Yes, Devil’s Halo displays Meshell's vocals and diversity throughout.