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Bitter (Meshell Ndegeocello album)

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Bitter
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 24, 1999
Genre
Length47:36
LabelMaverick[1]
ProducerCraig Street[2]
Meshell Ndegéocello chronology
Peace Beyond Passion
(1996)
Bitter
(1999)
Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape
(2002)

Bitter is the third album by Meshell Ndegeocello.[3] It was released on August 24, 1999, on Maverick Records. The album peaked at #105 on the Billboard Top 200 in 1999.[4] The album also peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Top Internet Albums chart and number 40 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Entertainment WeeklyA[6]
Pitchfork9.2/10[7]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Spin5/10[10]

Billboard called the album "a modern masterpiece," writing that it "shines for its sonic presence as well as its inherent musical quality."[2] The New York Times wrote that "its rhythms flow in circulatory patterns guided by Ms. Ndegeocello's bass playing; guitars, strings and her guarded vocals intertwine like brain waves."[11] The Chicago Tribune called it "one long bittersweet downer."[1] Vibe called Bitter the "Album of the Year."[12] The Hartford Courant wrote that "though Bitter attempts to explore ambitious life themes about loyalty, faith, love and beauty, it instead commits the mortal sin of dullness."[13]

Track listing

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  1. "Adam" (Meshell Ndegéocello) – 2:24
  2. "Fool of Me" (Ndegéocello, Federico González Peña) – 3:30
  3. "Faithful" (Ndegéocello, David Gamson) – 4:46
  4. "Satisfy" (Ndegéocello, Peña) – 4:05
  5. "Bitter" (Ndegéocello) – 4:15
  6. "May This Be Love" (Jimi Hendrix) – 5:17
  7. "Sincerity" (Ndegéocello, Doyle Bramhall II) – 5:30
  8. "Loyalty" (Ndegéocello, Allen Cato) – 4:20
  9. "Beautiful" (Ndegéocello) – 2:44
  10. "Eve" (David Torn, Roger Moutenot) – 1:23
  11. "Wasted Time" (Ndegéocello) – 4:55
  12. "Grace" (Ndegéocello) – 4:27

Personnel

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Musicians

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(instruments are not stated in the booklet)

Technical

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kot, Greg. "Meshell NdegeocelloBitter (Maverick)Instead of bringing the boho-flavored,..." Chicago Tribune.
  2. ^ a b "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. September 4, 1999 – via Google Books.
  3. ^ "Meshell Ndegeocello | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  4. ^ "MeShell Ndegeocello". Billboard.
  5. ^ "Bitter - Meshell Ndegeocello | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  6. ^ "Music Review: 'Bitter'". EW.com.
  7. ^ Nelson, Ivy (June 18, 2023). "Meshell Ndegeocello: Bitter Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  8. ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Meshell". robertchristgau.com.
  9. ^ "Me'Shell Ndegeocello: Bitter : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". October 1, 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-10-01.
  10. ^ "Reviews". Spin. October 29, 1999 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ Powers, Ann (October 8, 1999). "Album of the Week (Published 1999)" – via NYTimes.com.
  12. ^ "Revolutions". Vibe. Vibe Media Group. September 29, 1999 – via Google Books.
  13. ^ MCGARITY, NEAL. "BITTER -- ME'SHELL NDEGEOCELLO". courant.com.