Canonized, marginalized or just scrutinized, Meshell Ndegeocello has given up with the politics of explaining herself. After 20 years in an industry that has called her everything from avant garde to a dying breed, what unquestionably remains is the fearsome bassist, prolific songwriter and the creativity and curiosity of an authentic musical force. With that, she has earned critical acclaim, the unfailing respect of fellow players, songwriters and composers, and the dedication of her diverse, unclassifiable fans. For the sake of setting the record straight, a few brass tacks remain: Meshell was born in Germany, raised in DC, signed at 23, and has been nominated for 9 Grammy awards. With the upcoming release of The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams, Meshell Ndegeocello releases her 7th musical wonder to the world. With it, Meshell questions the inevitable, inconceivable brutality of the world with an arsenal of familiar themes: faith, rage, despair, fleeting joy and nagging doubt. For those who jones for the devastating bass lines and aching lyrics of prior releases, The World Has Made Me The Man Of My Dreams does not disappoint. A continuation of the journey, it is a quest for truth, a plea for beauty, and an elegy for former selves. That said, the truest hallmark of a Meshell Ndegeocello record is in its honest evolution from the last, from any before, and as another stop on the way to transcendence. Let good music prevail!

Meshell Ndegeocello's seventh studio album opens with the curious "Haditha." The track's warnings of apocalypse are as resistant to easy interpretation as they are (potentially) ironic in light of contemporary world news. But that's Ndegeocello for you. The inimitable bassist, songwriter, and nine-time Grammy nominee has ecstatically defied pigeonholing of any stripe since breaking into the spotlight with 1993's Plantation Lullabies. Here, she returns with the most genre- (and, as usual, sometimes gender-) bending work since 1996's Peace Beyond Passion. Ndegeocello's elastic bass playing, breathy crooning, and career-long resistance to the low-currency melodic aesthetic of outright pop music remain, but nevertheless, these 13 songs pack plenty of superficially new calling cards, including a penchant for the vocoder, recurring bilingualism, and guest appearances by jazzmen Pat Metheny, Jason Lindner, and Robert Glasper. Casual fans can recall Ndegeocello's early successes with the unapologetic return to pure funk workouts on display in songs like "Michelle Johnson," "Headline," and "Solomon." Even in its duller moments--the flaccid ballad "Shirk," the truncated sax solo that closes "Virgo," rainbow messages from God ("Elliptical")--this record fails to depart from the serious verve that has kept this artist relevant and refreshing for years. --Jason Kirk