Weather (Meshell Ndegeocello album)

Weather is the ninth studio album by American singer Meshell Ndegeocello, released on November 15, 2011, on the Naïve label.

Weather
Studio album by Meshell Ndegeocello
Released	November 15, 2011
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	47:33
Label	Naïve
Producer	Joe Henry[1] Keefus Ciancia
Meshell Ndegeocello chronology
Devil's Halo (2009) Weather (2011) Pour une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone (2012)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	A–[4]
The Guardian	[5]
Mojo	[6]
PopMatters	8/10[7]
Slant Magazine	[8]
Spin	8/10[9]
Uncut	[10]

Weather received "universal acclaim" from critics. According to Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream publications, the release achieved an average score of 82 based on 15 reviews.^[2]

In a review for AllMusic, critic reviewer Andy Kellman wrote: "The wealth of lithe, quiet backdrops played at slow tempos allows Ndegeocello, who switches between husky lower and sweet upper registers with more ease than ever, to tickle the ears. No song rocks, but a few groove."^[3] Alex McPherson of The Guardian described Weather as "deeply intimate, wholly engrossing,' going on to say "Ndegéocello's work has often been heavy with mood while elliptical of songcraft, but Weather contains her most direct material since the early 1990s."^[5] At Spin, Barry Walters explained: "After kick-starting neo-soul in the '90s, this chimerical bassist shimmied through countless genres as if to dodge and defy any tag — racial, gender, sexual, aesthetic. Here, she teams with producer Joe Henry for a somber mood piece that plays the introspection of singer-songwriter folk as meditative jazz."^[11]

Accolades

Publications' year-end list appearances for Weather

Critic/Publication	List	Rank	Ref
Slant Magazine	Slant Magazine's Top 25 Albums of 2011	13	[12]

Track listing

Weather track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Weather"	Meshell Ndegeocello Benji Hughes	2:32
2.	"Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear"	Ndegeocello Chris Bruce Gabe Noel	2:45
3.	"Feeling for the Wall"	Ndegeocello Joe Henry	3:28
4.	"Chance"	Ndegeocello Bruce Deantoni Parks	3:31
5.	"Oysters"	Hughes	2:40
6.	"Rapid Fire"	Ndegeocello Parks Chris Connelly	4:56
7.	"Chelsea Hotel"	Leonard Cohen	5:12
8.	"Dirty World"	Ndegeocello Parks	3:19
9.	"A Bitter Mule"	Ndegeocello Bruce	2:54
10.	"Crazy and Wild"	Keefus Ciancia Hughes	4:32
11.	"La Petite Mort"	Ndegeocello Nicci Kasper	3:31
12.	"Dead End"	Ndegeocello Bruce Kasper	5:11
13.	"Don't Take My Kindess for Weakness"	The Soul Children	3:03

Personnel

Musicians Meshell Ndegeocello – bass, vocals Deantoni Parks – drums Nicci Kasper – vocals Chris Bruce – guitar, bass Keefus Ciancia – piano Gabe Noel – cello, bass Benji Hughes – piano, vocals Jay Bellerose – drums

Production Joe Henry – producer Ryan Freeland − engineer, mastering, mixer

Charts

Chart performance for Weather

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13]	37