Peace Beyond Passion
| Peace Beyond Passion | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Me'shell Ndegeocello | ||||
| Released | June 25, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | 1995 - 1996 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 59:10 | |||
| Label | Maverick | |||
| Producer | David Gamson | |||
| Me'shell Ndegeocello chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Daily News |  [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+ [3] |
| NME | (6/10) [4] |
| Q | [4] |
| Rolling Stone | [5] |
| The Village Voice | B+[6] |
Peace Beyond Passion is an album by Me'shell Ndegeocello. It was released on June 25, 1996, on Maverick Records. The album peaked at #63 on the Billboard Top 200 list in 1996. The album also peaked at #15 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart. It went on to become Me'shell's most commercially successful album. The album was positively received by music critics. The album was also nominated for the 'Best R&B Album' Grammy Award in 1997.
The first single "Leviticus: Faggot" peaked at #15 on Billboard's Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in 1996. The music video was positively received on R&B outlets, despite its heavy storyline.
The second single and the biggest hit from the album was a Bill Wither's cover "Who Is He (And What Is He To You?)". The single reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in November 1996, as well as peaking at #34 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
The third and final single was a remixed version of the ballad "Stay", which peaked at #15 on Billboard's Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart and #67 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart.
Track listing
- "The Womb" – 1:25
- "The Way" – 4:58
- "Deuteronomy: Niggerman" – 4:01
- "Ecclesiastes: Free My Heart" – 5:22
- "Leviticus: Faggot" – 6:08
- "Mary Magdalene" – 5:51
- "God Shiva" – 4:09
- "Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?" – 4:49
- "Stay" – 4:30
- "Bittersweet" – 5:17
- "A Tear and a Smile" – 3:49
- "Make Me Wanna Holler" – 8:51
Personnel
- Me'Shell Ndegéocello – bass guitar, guitar, percussion, arranger, multi instruments, drum programming
- Billy Preston – organ
- Joshua Redman – horns, saxophone, horn section
- Oliver Lake – horns
- Bennie Maupin – bass clarinet
- Wendy Melvoin – guitar, arranger, guitar arrangements
- Allen Cato – guitar
- David Torn – guitar
- David Fiuczynski – guitar
- David Campbell — String and horn arrangements for tracks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 12
- Wah Wah Watson – guitar, wah wah guitar
- Federico Pena – percussion, Fender Rhodes
- Daniel Sadownick – percussion
- Luis Conte – percussion
- Gene Lake – drums
- David Gamson – arranger, drums, producer, engineer, vocal arrangement, drum programming, atmosphere
- Paul Riser – string arrangements
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Bob Power – mixing
- Rail Jon Rogut – engineer
- Mike Krowiak – engineer
- Charles Nasser – engineer
- Suzanne Dyer – engineer
- Gregory-Trevor Gilmer – art direction
- Guzman (Constance Hansen & Russell Peacock – photography
- Melvone Farrell – make-up