Next month we’ll be treated to the sounds of The Omnichord Real Book, the Blue Note Records debut from industry veteran Meshell Ndegeocello. The singer and multi-instrumentalist has teased us with the set’s lead single “Virgo” and its second release “Vuma.” She’s now giving us another listen to the jazz fusion project with her newest single “The 5th Dimension.”
Unlike the two previous singles, “The 5th Dimension” is a relatively quiet track. It begins with piano and an electric guitar that rumbles just beneath the surface. It’s not until the two-minute mark that skittering drums join the party — and even then, they turn on and off like a light switch as they add texture to different sections while the rest of the song functions with them.
Meshell offers a quiet contemplative vocal throughout. Alone at first, she sings of things esoteric and personal. “Whirling through the atmosphere / Will you find the meaning? / When you face the mighty nearer, wanna look at what you see,” she sings. “Eyes of glass show fragile fear / You look around and shudder / Suffering in humble love.”
She’s soon joined by vocal group The HawtPlates, who fill in the rest of the song’s vocal textures as they provide harmonies to Meshell’s leads and take over for her a bit in the song’s latter half before the closing chant reveals its true meaning. "It’s give and take, this humble love / It’s never hate, it’s humble love / The fire and fate of humble love / The higher state is humble love,” they sing in unison as their voices meet with the sounds of the instruments around them.
The Omnichord Real Book looks to be yet another thoughtful masterwork in the discography of Meshell Ndegeocello, and we can’t wait to hear more. We also can’t wait to see her when she takes her show on the road this year, with a large group of dates happening this summer — including performances at the Blue Note Jazz Festivals in New York and Napa Valley this June and July, respectively.
Check out a list of her upcoming tour dates after you dig into the stream of “The 5th Dimension” and the song’s lyric video below.
Meshell Ndegeocello 2023 Tour dates:
May 13 – Tulsa Mayfest @ Guthrie Green- University of Tulsa / Rumble Drum
June 7 – Count Basie Center for the Arts – Red Bank, NJ
June 9 – Center for the Arts of Homer – Homer, NY
June 13 – Dakota – Minneapolis, MN
June 14 – Dakota – Minneapolis, MN
June 15 – Turner Hall Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
June 16 – Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
June 18 – Terrace Theater @ The Kennedy Center – Washington, DC
June 20 – The Ardmore Music Hall – Ardmore, PA
June 21 – Blue Note Jazz Festival @ Sony Hall – New York, NY
July 29 – Blue Note Jazz Festival Napa – Napa, CA
August 11 – We Out Here Festival – Wimborne, UK
November 19 – City Winery Pittsburgh – Pittsburgh, PA
