Ventriloquism (album)

Ventriloquism
Studio album by Meshell Ndegeocello
Released	March 16, 2018 (2018-03-16)
Genre	R&B pop
Length	53:34
Label	Naïve
Meshell Ndegeocello chronology
Comet, Come to Me (2014) Ventriloquism (2018) The Omnichord Real Book

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.6/10 [1]
Metacritic	80/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Exclaim!	7/10 [4]
Financial Times	[5]
The Guardian	[6]
The Independent	[7]
Mojo	[8]
Pitchfork	7.8/10 [9]
PopMatters	8/10 [10]
Slant Magazine	[11]
The Times	[12]

Ventriloquism is the 12th studio album from Meshell Ndegeocello, released on March 16, 2018. The album covers eleven R&B and pop tracks originally recorded in the 1980s and 1990s. It was nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

A portion of the profits of the album will go to the ACLU. ^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Original artist(s)	Length
1.	"I Wonder If I Take You Home"	Curt Bedeau Gerry Charles Hugh L. Clarke Brian George Lucien George Paul George	Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam featuring Full Force	4:44
2.	"Nite and Day"	Albert Brown Kyle West	Al B. Sure!	5:00
3.	"Sometimes It Snows in April"	Prince Wendy & Lisa	Prince	7:05
4.	"Waterfalls"	Marqueze Etheridge Lisa Lopes Organized Noize	TLC	4:34
5.	"Atomic Dog 2017"	George Clinton Garry Shider David Spradley	George Clinton	6:27
6.	"Sensitivity"	James Harris III Terry Lewis	Ralph Tresvant	3:43
7.	"Funny How Time Flies (When You're Having Fun)"	Harris Lewis Janet Jackson	Janet Jackson	4:33
8.	"Tender Love"	Harris Lewis	Force MDs	2:41
9.	"Don't Disturb This Groove"	David Frank Mic Murphy	The System	4:38
10.	"Private Dancer"	Mark Knopfler	Tina Turner	4:51
11.	"Smooth Operator"	Sade Adu Ray St. John	Sade	5:18
Total length:				53:34

Charts

Chart (2018)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [14]	86
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [15]	62
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [16]	46

References

1. "Ventriloquism by Meshell Ndegeocello reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
2. "Ventriloquism by Meshell Ndegeocello Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
3. Kellman, Andy. "Ventriloquism – Meshell Ndegeocello". AllMusic . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
4. Harmony, A. (12 March 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism". Exclaim! . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
5. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (16 March 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism — 'impressive covers'" . Financial Times . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
6. Andrews, Charlotte Richardson (16 March 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism review – timeless, lustrous take on 90s R&B". The Guardian . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
7. Gill, Andy (15 March 2018). "Album reviews: Creep Show, Yo La Tengo, The Magic Gang and more" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 2022-08-11. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
8. Bulley, Jenny (May 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism". Mojo (294): 98.
9. Nelson, Brad (17 March 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism". Pitchfork . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
10. Pontecorvo, Adriane (16 March 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello's 'Ventriloquism' Shows She Can Play Any Song and Stay True to Herself". PopMatters . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
11. Hurst, Josh (2 March 2018). "Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
12. Hodgkinson, Will (16 March 2018). "Pop review: Meshell Ndegeocello: Ventriloquism" . The Times . Retrieved 9 February 2019.
13. "Meshell Ndegeocello Announces Covers Album Listen to Tender Love". Broadway World. Retrieved 13 January 2018.
14. "Ultratop.be – Meshell Ndegéocello – Ventriloquism" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
15. "Swisscharts.com – Meshell Ndegéocello – Ventriloquism". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
16. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 24, 2025.

External links

• Interview with Billboard
• Review from NPR