Ventriloquism

Meshell Ndegeocello - Ventriloquism
Critic Score
Based on 11 reviews
2018 Ratings: #184 / 890
User Score
Based on 58 ratings
Liked by 4 people
March 16, 2018 / Release Date
LP / Format
- / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Spectrum Culture

Ventriloquism is a thrill and a surprise, a set of 11 hits from the ‘80s and ‘90s that have been reimagined and turned inside out without losing the joy of the originals.

80
PopMatters
No matter how you feel about cover albums, Ndegeocello's is worth hearing, not just because she's chosen such classic songs, but because of who she is and what she continues, album after album, to bring to the soundscape at large: something different, something of her own.
80
AllMusic
For this creative all-covers set bearing an incompatible title, Ndegeocello concentrates on the era that birthed the Ready for the World and Whodini tracks -- the mid- to late '80s, primarily her late-teenage years -- with wistfulness applied only when the material calls for it.
80
Slant Magazine

It turns commonly held conceptions of canon on their head, implicitly asks for a more inclusive understanding of song craft, and—most of all—celebrates a group of songs that resonate in a variety of contexts and arrangements.

80
NOW Magazine

The greatest strength of the album is that you don’t think of the original artists while Ndegeocello is singing.  Some will feel she’s been reckless with beloved jams, others will fall in love with them all over again, and many will discover a new side of them even if they’ve heard the original a million times.

80
The Independent
The results are frequently transformative, and always enjoyable.
78
Pitchfork

Tackling a range of R&B radio hits from the 1980s and 1990s, Meshell Ndegeocello treats the practice of covering another’s songs as an act of intimacy and empathy.

70
Exclaim!

Sonically, Ventriloquism is risky. Ndegeocello's blend of funk, folk, bluegrass and soul forces you to forget what you know about the songs you hold dear and at times, it gets uncomfortable. But listen closely — there's a lot being said on this album in deceptively simple ways.

60
The Guardian
There is intention here, a subtle, transformative magic.
80

Nice

luisdelrey2016
75

You feel her soul, you feel her singing, you feel like this was real. Ventriloquism exudes magic to transport you to the '80s, and get along with the happiness, caring about nothing and fade yourself on serenity. Because this neo-soul LP slays on every edge.

FAVS: I Wonder If I Take You Home, Sometimes It Snows in April, Waterfalls, Sensitivity, Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun), Private Dancer
LEAST FAV: Nite and Day

MasterCrackfox
65

A fun collection of 80s and 90s covers from a versatile soul vocalist.

Favorite track: Waterfalls

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Added on: January 16, 2018