Meshell Ndegeocello's groundbreaking new album No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin takes you on a musical journey which defies categorisation.
Eight years in the making and set for release on 2 August – Baldwin's centennial – the album’s origins date back to Ndegeocello’s 2016 musical and theatrical tribute to the iconic writer and activist, "Can I Get a Witness? The Gospel of James Baldwin", commissioned and produced by Harlem Stage through its WaterWorks programme.
A nuanced exploration of race, sexuality, religion and other recurring themes explored in Baldwin’s canon, which takes its inspiration from his seminal 1963 non-fiction work, The Fire Next Time – a “life-changing” work for Ndegeocello which she carries with her as a “spiritual text” – No More Water is an album that demands to be listened to in one sitting, such is its immersive power.
From album opener "Travel", which takes the listener inside the mind of a man with suicidal thoughts (something of an idée fixe in Baldwin’s work) and the viscerally powerful unaccompanied spoken word "Raise the Roof", to the churning, multilayered groove of “Pride I/Pride II” and the deeply affecting personal credo of "Thus Sayeth The Lorde", which pays homage to another influential Harlem writer and activist, Audre Lorde, it’s impossible not to be moved by the galvanic force which courses through this music.
Co-produced with guitarist Chris Bruce, the album features some of Ndegeocello’s most frequent collaborators including vocalist Justin Hicks, saxist Josh Johnson, keyboardist Jebin Bruni, and drummer Abe Rounds, while guest appearances by poet Staceyann Chin and Pulitzer Prize-winner Hilton Als add dramatic heft.
More than just a homage, the album is a conversation across time, with Ndegeocello and her fellow artists channelling Baldwin’s spirit to create a work that feels both timeless and urgently contemporary.
Watch Meshell Ndegeocello's Tiny Desk Concert
