Music Seen! Ledisi - Turn Me Loose

Ledisi is an artist slowly on the rise. She seems to be a musician whose talent will force people to take notice sooner or later, and it seems the Grammy’s have taken notice before most of the public. Lost & Found was her 2007 release that sold over 200,000 copies and got two Grammy nods, and she wasted no time in releasing Turn me Loose which the Grammy family also gave two thumbs up(noms).


The intro "Runnin’" is a force of a song with Ledisi putting a lot of feeling into it, she’s talking about her struggle in just going through everyday life and not giving up, which a lot of us can identify with .The intro shoes the power Ledisi is capable of delivering vocally and emotionally. The songs eerily pitched sirens sound similar to a thriller movie and help evoke the feeling of a psychological and physical struggle. If you have any doubts about Ledisi’s talent by the end of the intro they should really be put to rest; peep the way she adlibs with “I don’t feel too good...” like she’s physically sick, brilliant. The next song “Everything Changes” has thematic similarities with the personal classic “Alright” from her previous album, and could almost be seen as a part two of the song, it is well produced track with some nice horns. On it she is frank about trying to discover self-love “there was a time I gave up on people/disappointment led me just to be alone/then one day I was told to just stand on my own/ and it’s so true."

“Higher Than This” is a song about feeling the love of The Most High and has some cool modern R&B production. Produced by legends Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis it is a song that wouldn’t be out of place on a Mary Mary album. Ledisi shines on “Alone” a well-written track and honest track about relationship abandonment and loneliness, anyone who has had and lost love can definitely relate to this. “Love Never Changes” has a smooth 70’s soul feel to it, and one wouldn’t be surprised if that great decade is the core of Ledisi’s musical influence.

“Knockin’” has a really a knocking groove and is another high point of an already good album. With hard-hitting snares, blues guitar and organ you can almost feel the joy Ledisi gets in singing these types of songs. Ledisi is talking about not letting negativity and evil get a foot into the door of her life (soul) “I hear you knockin’ but you can’t come in/ hear you knockin but you ain’t gon win..”, Ledisi is clearly versatile with her sound. If you thought she was only an “old-school” artist though you’re mistaken, peep “I Need Love” a jamming song with a banging beat that you could imagine Keyshia Cole singing.

The most attractive thing in my opinion about Ledisi is her openness and honesty. She is not afraid to sing of her weaknesses and vulnerabilities in her music. With today’s mainstream music so blatantly and disgustingly plastic it’s like a bucket of ice water to listen to realness on a soul track. Ledisi is also an artist in touch with her spirituality and femininity. She shows you don’t have to be raunchy to create great music as a secular female artist. Ledisi just seems like someone you would want to know because of her spirit of beating the odds, and there is nothing more fulfilling in life than overcoming.

‘Ledisi is a diamond in the rough in the modern Soul/R&B world that has been lacking well, soul. If you like the genre, do not sleep on Ledisi.”

::KC blog:: rating 4.5/5 stars


"Higher Than This"