An Evening with LEDISI
by Daniel Bass
for VocalMusician.com
I said that I was going to go see LEDISI come hell or high water.
Well, they both came and I saw LEDISI anyway. I had a rough time
getting there and a rough time getting home, but I made it! And what took
place in between was simply fabulous! LEDISI garnered all kinds of
new respect from me. So here is the story...
First off, from the minute I woke up, it was raining. And it wasn't
just raining; there were flood and tornado watches in parts of Atlanta. It
was RAINING. But I didn't care. I called the venue repeatedly to
make sure that the show wasn't canceled. And it wasn't, so I sure as heck
wasn't pulling out if LEDISI wasn't. I bought me a little parka and
got my umbrella, and I was goin'!
I also had to go alone because my best friend bailed on me. I took
MARTA (Atlanta’s public transportation system) to my stop. I had to start
asking where Centennial Olympic Park is. This is the really only messed up
thing about the whole evening: the homeless people. There were just lots
of
people asking for money, wanting to talk. And my dumb butt stopped to talk
to about 5 of `em, just because I felt horrible for them. Gave away $4.11,
but didn't want to support any habits. The state of the world is just
messed up. We have so much money and can't even house and provide
healthcare for all these folks. Anyway, that's my rant for the day. But my
ambivalence over the homeless people colored the whole evening for me.
I finally arrived at the venue (it was still drizzling), and there was
nobody there but the folks putting the stage together. I had been there a
few minutes when who should walk up but Ms. LEDISI herself y'all!
She seemed just like a friend from school or something as she walked up.
No pretentiousness about her at all. I told her I was the Daniel who had
e-mailed her the day before and she said, "Daniel! Hi!" She was very
friendly but shortly got pulled away. Even though she was having to do
stuff, she kept assuring me she'd be back which I really appreciated 'cuz she
had stuff to do, but she was worryin' about me (smile). But then she got
back in her car and they drove off.
Only a little after that did I realize they had a little tent set up.
So I walked over to it and asked a girl if this was the watching area ('cuz it
was about as big as a stamp!), and she looked at me like I didn't speak English! So I looked at her like, "Hello! I speak English!" And she
said 'yes' and I sat down.
5:30 kind of came and went and then this spoken word poet did a couple
poems. It was ok but I wasn't really there to see him, you know? I
was waiting for the grand event. A little later I saw LEDISI and
her producer, AMAZING keyboardist and co-writer extraordinaire Sundra
come back from wherever they had gone. I was getting excited now!
Shortly
thereafter, the promoter introduced LEDISI. We decided we couldn't
sit back in the little tent since it was so far away. We all opened our
umbrellas and marched our butts up to the front.
Now the thing about LEDISI is, offstage she's almost like a little
kid. She can't be more than 5'2" and she's got so much energy and
brightness that you don't know if she's 12 or 30-something or anywhere in
between! Wearing a long denim skirt with a low-cut green floral top and a
white knit scarf, she looked classy but stylish. But on stage, she is a
firecracker! She quickly pulled off the scarf and got to work!
Ladies and gentleman, if you did not know, LEDISI is a singin' child!
She did everything that she does on record and more. Her voice is simply
explosive. She had people dancin' in the rain holding umbrellas! She
would occasionally punctuate numbers with parts of other songs, including bits
of Aaliyah's 'Rock the Boat' and Khia's `My Neck, My Back'.
I think the first song she did was 'So Right'. She tore it up.
Kickin' up legs, dancing around, facial contortions... All expressions of the
glorious sound pouring
out of her throat.
She sang a variety of songs from both her albums including `Feeling Orange',
`Get Outta My Kitchen', `Take Time', which included a very humorous skit of a
person at work under all kinds of pressure, `Good Love', `Autumn Leaves`,
`Coffee', `Hold on to Love' from her new CD Soulsinger: the
Revival, and new songs `So Much Pain' and `Don't Want to Be Lonely'.
She also sang a lovely version of the Beatles' "Yesterday", showcasing
her lovely lower range. She also sang Michael McDonald's 'I Keep
Forgetting'. She added something new and spicy to every one of them.
She injects a fiery passion into every note that she sings. She sounds a
little like Kim Burrell with more range and more force.
We started the concert in the rain but about halfway through during `Feeling
Orange' the sun peeked through the clouds and the rain stopped. Umbrellas
went down and thanks went up because now we could jam even harder!
And yes, LEDISI had me dancin' all by my bad self. Even if I
was there alone, I was gonna have me a good time! We started with maybe 10
or 15 people but by the end, we had at least 50 who had gathered, intrigued by
the soulful grooves of one LEDISI YOUNG.
At about 7:30 LEDISI finished and came over to a little booth to sign
autographs. We took pictures and I got an autograph. Then I went to
say hi to Sundra. Then the promoter of the event told me she wanted
to take pictures of me, Sundra and LEDISI so she could put them on
the website! WooHoo!!! So when those
pictures go up, I'll tell y'all. So I stayed `til after all the
autographers left and then took pics with Led and Sun. By
that time, we had to walk across the street to the after party. And
somehow, I was still with
the group!
So here's all the production folks, LEDISI, Sundra, and me
walking to the Omni Hotel! We got there and LEDISI had to go change
and eat something and all the official people were trying to pick a time for
Led to reconvene at the after party and my dumb butt says, "How about 9:15?"
Y'all like I thought I had a job right? (smile). But everyone decided 9:15
was a good time and then I finally split from them and went into the actual
place I was SUPPOSED to be!
There was more spoken word, and a girl named Algebra sang (and she
was good!) and finally LEDISI came back. She had changed into a
one-sleeved orange dress and had the knit scarf tied around her waist. She
just looked beautiful, y'all. Radiant. She sang "You Are My Friend"
a cappella with the audience helping on the chorus. She also sang "In a
Sentimental Mood" and "Free Again" a cappella. Then she sang "Hold on to
Love",
"Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue", and "Get Outta My Kitchen" with a track,
which she said she wasn't used to doing, but she did a GREAT job anyway.
Then it was time to go. If I was a tad uneasy in the daytime, I was
downright uncomfortable walking to the train station in the dark (it was about
10 o'clock). I was stopped by more homeless people but finally made my way
back. I took the train home and was greeted by my mama who drove me home.
I was asleep by 11:30.
So as you can see, I had quite a night. I faced that hell and high
water and wouldn't trade it for the world! It was the second greatest
concert experience I've had (second only to Rachelle Ferrell, who can't
be topped!) and I loved every minute of it! If LEDISI comes your
way and you don't go, shame on you! Everyone deserves to see something so
entertaining and moving. She sings her butt off and she`ll sing yours off
too if you don`t watch out! She is the personification of freedom and
strength. And it was something to see (smile).
===============================================================================================================
Comments??? Start a discussion about
LEDISI on the Forums
page - or - if you have alot to say, email comments to
vocalmusician@vocalmusician.com
or mail to DeRob Music, PO Box 34633, Washington DC 20043-4633 for posting on
the VocalMusician.com