No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin

No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin is a 2024 studio album by American singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, released on August 2, 2024, by Blue Note Records. It is a tribute album to African-American thinkers and writers, including namesake James Baldwin and Audre Lorde.[2] The album was preceded by songs "Raise the Roof", "Thus Sayeth the Lorde", and "Travel".[3][4]

No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
A stylized graphic of an eye on a yellow background
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 2, 2024 (2024-08-02)
Length76:25
LabelBlue Note
Producer
  • Chris Bruce
  • Meshell Ndegeocello
Meshell Ndegeocello chronology
The Omnichord Real Book
(2023)
No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
(2024)

"Sadly, I didn't get his work until much later in life. Imagine if I had gotten this as a child. That's what we work on now, especially Paul Thompson, who's featured on the record. We try to have this taught in high school, to give some idea of the systematic racism that has been imposed on people of color since the beginning of this country. He's very prophetic in the sense that we're at a breaking point, and I think much like mental illness in the individual, if you build your house on a foundation of sand, it's bound to fall apart. I think that's what's happening in America. The delusion and the illusions are falling to the wayside. I'm just hoping we create something much better."

Meshell Ndegeocello on discovering James Baldwin and his relevance to contemporary America[1]

Track listing

edit
  1. "Travel" – 4:09
  2. "On the Mountain" – 5:59
  3. "Baldwin Manifesto 1" – 0:43
  4. "Raise the Roof" – 5:06
  5. "The Price of the Ticket" – 1:34
  6. "What Did I Do?" – 5:18
  7. "Pride I" – 2:54
  8. "Pride II" – 2:38
  9. "Eyes" – 5:17
  10. "Trouble" – 7:18
  11. "Thus Sayeth the Lorde" – 5:40
  12. "Love" – 3:42
  13. "Hatred" – 5:28
  14. "Tsunami Rising" – 8:04
  15. "Another Country" – 4:47
  16. "Baldwin Manifesto 2" – 2:06
  17. "Down at the Cross" – 5:42

Personnel

edit
  • Meshell Ndegeocello – bass guitar, vocals, production
  • Hilton Als – spoken word
  • Chris Bruce – guitar, production
  • Jebin Bruni – keyboards
  • Staceyann Chin – spoken word
  • Justin Hicks – vocals
  • Kenita-Miller Hicks – vocals
  • Josh Johnson – saxophone
  • Julius Rodriguez – keyboards
  • Abe Rounds – drums
  • Jake Sherman – keyboards
  • Paul Thompson – trumpet

Charts

edit
Chart performance for No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[5] 67
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[6] 59

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ Budnick, Dave (July 1, 2024). "Meshell Ndegeocello on the Sonics of Sun Ra and the Gospel of James Baldwin". Relix. ISSN 0146-3489. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  2. ^ Ermyas, Tinbete; Venkat, Mia; Shaprio, Ari (June 16, 2024). "Meshell Ndegeocello talks about her album and ongoing inspiration from James Baldwin". Music Interviews. All Things Considered. NPR. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  3. ^ "MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO "NO MORE WATER: THE GOSPEL OF JAMES BALDWIN" OUT AUG. 2 ON EMINENT WRITER'S CENTENNIAL". Blue Note Records. May 31, 2024. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  4. ^ Malin, Marina (July 12, 2024). "Meshell Ndegello Shares New Single "Thus Sayeth The Lorde" from Forthcoming Album". News. Under the Radar. ISSN 1553-2305. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  5. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Meshell Ndegeocello – No More Water - The Gospel Of James Baldwin". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2024.