Peace Beyond Passion

David Gamson produced it over 1995 and 1996 across six studios, with Rail Jon Rogut recording and Bob Power mixing at Enterprise Studios in Burbank. Ndegeocello played bass, lead guitar and much of the rest, joined by Joshua Redman on saxophones, Billy Preston on organ, Wendy Melvoin and Wah Wah Watson among the guitarists, and strings arranged by Paul Riser. Deuteronomy, Ecclesiastes and Leviticus form a set of three. Bittersweet borrows the chords of Roy Ayers' Everybody Loves the Sunshine, and Make Me Wanna Holler shares only its title with Marvin Gaye's song.

Salon heard a record more melodic, polished and assured than her debut, and Trouser Press a handsome vintage bed for her thorny roses. The Guardian and Muzik gave it full marks, and Albumism later called it a Swiss Army knife of sex, religion, race and class. It reached 63 on the Billboard 200 and 15 on the R&B albums chart and was nominated for the Grammy for Best R&B Album, though the Houston Press reported that urban radio found it too alternative and alternative radio too urban. Its first vinyl edition, a Record Store Day double LP with extra tracks, came out in 2021.