Ivan's Choice

Me'shell Ndegéocello's debut release, 1993's Plantation Lullabies, spawned the hit "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)" and received three Grammy nominations. A sophomore effort, Peace Beyond Passion, finally saw release in 1996, but failed to match the success of her debut. Another three-year break between albums occurred, during which time she collaborated with rapper Queen Pen on the track "Girlfriend." Ndegéocello's third release overall, Bitter, was issued in 1999. She took another three-year break and emerged with Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape in June 2002. Comfort Woman followed in 2003 and Dance of the Infidel, a sprawling album made with numerous collaborators from the jazz world, surfaced in mid-2005. Two years later, her fantastic Decca debut, The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams, which included guest appearances from Pat Metheny and Oumou Sangare, was released. Her first pop-related recording in half a decade, 2009's Devil's Halo, featured Ndegéocello in a quartet setting. The album also included guest spots from Lisa Germano and Oren Bloedow.