Ndegeocello’s Rich Fusion of Self, Soul and Songs at Roxy

Melding the personal, the political and the spiritual into one massive, languid, rolling groove, singer-songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello and her band moved and mesmerized the audience on Monday at the Roxy, crafting a tapestry of meditations on love and faith that bound the capacity crowd into her lush examinations of humanity.

On this first of two nights at the club, Ndegeocello’s nimble, artful bass playing led her ensemble in sprawling versions of songs from her new album, “Bitter,” as well as earlier material. Moving from the heartbreak of the title track to the redemption of “Grace,” the 90-minute set built gradually in energy and intensity as the band took the music--and the audience--higher and higher and higher.

Ndegeocello’s work has always been ambitious, not just in its complex blend of soul, funk, rock and jazz but also in the way she can be confrontational and soothing on subjects as serious as racism and relationships. Her wide-ranging influences include Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix and Gil Scott-Heron, yet what listeners heard Monday was purely her own soul.

At a time when so much pop music is about fakery and posturing, it was nothing short of an amazing relief to witness a musician and writer truly keeping it real, reveling in the joys and agonies of existence and challenging her fans to do the same.