Devil's Halo
| Devil's Halo | ||||
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| Studio album by Me'Shell Ndegéocello | ||||
| Released | October 6, 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:45 | |||
| Label | Downtown | |||
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| Me'Shell Ndegéocello chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The A.V. Club | A− |
| The Independent |  |
| Mojo | |
| The New Zealand Herald | |
| Q | |
| PopMatters | 9/10 |
| Uncut | |
| The Sunday Times | |
| The Times | |
Devil's Halo is the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter and bassist Me'Shell Ndegéocello. After writing songs for over a year, Ndegéocello recorded the album in seven days with audio engineer S. Husky Höskulds. She was accompanied by a band featuring drummer Deantoni Parks, guitarist Chris Bruce, and keyboardist Keefus Ciancia; Bruce and Ciancia produced the record with Ndegéocello.
The songs on Devil's Halo featured an eclectic fusion of styles, including alternative rock, soul, and jazz-rock. Ndegéocello's spiritually complex and ambiguous lyrics spoke of romantic love and loneliness, among other themes. Released by Downtown Records on October 6, 2009, Devil's Halo charted modestly but was well received by most critics.
Ndegéocello spent over a year writing the songs from Devil's Halo, being inspired in part by her trip to Ireland. "I went to a couple of pubs and there were much older gentlemen playing the guitar and just singing these amazing, simple songs", Ndegéocello recalled. "I really admired that. I wanted to get to that kind of place where the song could just exist with a guitar and a vocal." With Icelandic audio engineer S. Husky Höskulds, Ndegéocello proceeded to record the album in seven days, backed by a band that featured guitarist Chris Bruce, keyboardist Keefus Ciancia, and drummer Deantoni Parks. She later credited them with providing her inspiration and critique while keeping her "clear about what is the real focus—in life and in music". Their instruments were recorded live without digital post-production, which New York Times critic Ben Ratliff said contributed to the music's raw and organic sound.
"I love the myth of the devil: the fallen angel who became jealous. So the symbolism of the Devil's Halo for me is that there are gray areas in music and life. I'm a songwriter, and I just go and write about the people in my life, and where I've come to at this point in my life—from making records at 22 to being 41. I've seen other things, met all kinds of people, and had all kinds of experiences."
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