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Despite being one of the most talented and influential artists of her time, Nina Simone was -- and still remains -- an underappreciated artist. And if there's anyone who can be considered a modern-day equivalent to Nina, i.e. a highly talented and underappreciated artist, it's Meshell Ndegeocello. So it makes perfect sense that Meshell would pay tribute to her kindred spirit by recording a tribute project.


And that project, Pour une Ame Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone is a brilliant labor of love that features not only Meshell, but some of her kindred spirits in the alternative-urban music world, including Lizz Wright and Cody ChesnuTT. Pour une Ame Souveraine, which is French for For a Sovereign Soul and was released in the U.S. Oct. 9, 2012, is a fitting, loving tribute to one of the more substantive American performers of the 20th century.

Bone Deep

Despite coming of age musically in two different eras -- Nina Simone in the 1950s and Meshell Ndegeocello in the 1990s -- the two have many things in common. Among them, occasional political messages in their music, social activism and a lack of mainstream acceptance based partly on their looks and their resistance against changing those looks to fit what many people of their respective eras thought was appropriate for a female. But maybe the one thread that ties the women together the most is their love and appreciation for complex, thought-provoking, bone-deep songs.

While neither Meshell nor Nina has had a major, top 10 hit, each is still known by their core fans for certain tunes. Meshell's known for tracks like "Bitter" and "Pocketbook," while Nina's best-known material includes songs like "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "House of the Rising Sun." And on Pour une Ame Souveraine, Meshell and her collaborators remake -- and in some cases reinvent -- 14 of Nina's best songs.
The very best of the remakes is easily the collection's opening track, a remake of the aforementioned "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood." On Meshell's version, she sweetly coos with the sensuality that's been a trademark of her career, but was rarely heard in Nina's voice. The sexiness of not only Meshell's voice but of her bass guitar, give the song a much more vulnerable, delicate atmosphere than the one Nina's earnest, confidently powerful voice crafted on the classic version.

Nearly Flawless

The Jazz-to-Soul conversion also works on numerous other songs, including the second track, "Suzanne," the romantic "Real Real," which features folk-blues musician Toshi Reagon; and a stirring version of "To Be Young, Gifted & Black," which features eclectic and reclusive Soul singer Cody ChesnuTT on lead vocals. In addition to Mr. ChesnuTT, other vocalists include Valerie June (on "Be My Husband") and another woman who, like Meshell, is occasionally compared to Nina, Lizz Wright (on "Nobody's Fault But Mine"). Of the 14 songs here, none really misses the mark, but the closest track coming to it is the remake of "Don't Take All Night," which features Irish singer Sinead O'Connor on lead vocals. Although the song on the whole is a quality production, Sinead's vocal style doesn't really mesh particularly well with the soulful tone of the album, and her track has a sort of Nashville twang to it that sticks out like a sore thumb.
But other than that, this is a near-flawless collection of tunes. Twenty or 30 years for now, when some brilliant artist decides to record a Meshell Ndegeocello tribute album, we can only hope it'll be as filled with love, respect and admiration as the one Meshell has crafted in Nina Simone's honor.