Bitter is the third album by Meshell Ndegeocello.[3] It was released on August 24, 1999, on Maverick Records. The album peaked at #105 on the BillboardTop 200 in 1999.[4] The album also peaked at number 13 on Billboard's Top Internet Albums chart and number 40 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.
Billboard called the album "a modern masterpiece," writing that it "shines for its sonic presence as well as its inherent musical quality."[2]The New York Times wrote that "its rhythms flow in circulatory patterns guided by Ms. Ndegeocello's bass playing; guitars, strings and her guarded vocals intertwine like brain waves."[11] The Chicago Tribune called it "one long bittersweet downer."[1]Vibe called Bitter the "Album of the Year."[12] The Hartford Courant wrote that "though Bitter attempts to explore ambitious life themes about loyalty, faith, love and beauty, it instead commits the mortal sin of dullness."[13]
