RACHELLE FERRELL

LEDISI

at BLUES ALLEY – November 11-14, 2004

by Dawn! E. Robinson

for VocalMusician.com

Okay, call me crazy but there was no way that LEDISI could play Blues Alley for four nights straight and I not be there for each show!!! The only other singers I've gone to see more than once during a long run were Nancy Wilson and Patti LaBelle. Although that might seem excessive to some, it's also a great way to really see how a singer works. And, in hindsight, I am REALLY glad I was there to see LEDISI each night. It was not only a great performance, but also an example of a great singer working through vocal drama. After a flawless performance on Thursday night, she had to contend with a cold for the remaining three nights. But she not only rallied, she triumphed! Her hard work paid off and she became even more of an inspiration to me and other singers in the room.

Wearing a pair of blue jeans and a blouse of sheer fabric with sequins, she opened her show with "My Sensitivity" from the Forever, For Always, For Luther CD. She followed with songs from her 2001 CD, Feeling Orange, But Sometimes, Blue: the title track, "If You Go," "So Right," "Sugar/Brown Sugar" - a really funky pairing of the Stanley Turrentine jazz classic with the D'Angelo r&b joint - and songs from her 2003 breakthrough CD Soulsinger: "You Are My Friend," "Get Outa My Kitchen" and "Take Time," interspersed with the Stevie Wonder/Michael Jackson song, "I Can't Help It", Paul McCartney's "Yesterday," and two new songs: "When Bonnie Sang" - a dedication to one of her vocal influences - and "You Should Be Mine" - a throw back to the way an r&b song used to sound.

After being devastated by the results from the presidential election the week before LEDISI's performance, for me, was a welcome display of vocal prowess and spiritual inspiration. And her "Come on, conservatives, don't be scared" during the audience-participation moments was comic relief in a big way.

Her show only altered slightly on Saturday and Sunday nights when she opened with "Good Lovin'" from Soulsinger. On Saturday night, she threw in a quick, a cappella version of "Round Midnight" which was requested from someone in the audience. On Sunday night, the cold had taken its toll on her. So she left out "Yesterday" and "Get Outa My Kitchen," but added an a cappella version of "Groove On" from Soulsinger and "Sentimental Mood" from Feeling Orange.

Honestly, if she hadn't told us that she had a cold, no one would have noticed. Her vocals, especially her upper range, were crystal clear and she maintained vocal power through the entire run. I think that only singers in the audience could tell how hard she was working, especially on the last two nights.

If you have not heard LEDISI live yet, you really should do yourself and your soul a favor and go see her. You'll thank me afterward.

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