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Me'Shell Ndegéocello: Peace Beyond Passion (Maverick/Reprise)

Jon Young, Musician, August 1996

FUNK OUGHT to be its own reward, but Me'Shell Ndegéocello isn't buying that right now. Perhaps embarrassed by the commercial success of John Mellencamp's rollicking cover of 'Wild Night', which benefited enormously from her monster bass licks, a brooding Ndegéocello scorns the notion of comfort or relief on Peace Beyond Passion. While Plantation Lullabies, her triumphant debut, was hardly a party platter, this relentless slice o' angst has all the excitement of a wake.

Total word count of piece: 259

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