Ledisi--A True Underground Gem

photo courtesy of jazz.jvc.com

I don’t want you guys to think that I am solely partial to female singers, but I have to share another amazingly gifted female artist with you today; Grammy-nominated R&B singer/songwriter, Ms. Ledisi Young, aka Ledisi, meaning “to bring forth” or “to come here” in Yoruba.

Known for her silky-satin, jazzy vocals, Ledisi was born in Louisiana and grew up in a musical family. She started performing with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra at the age of 8. Later moving to Oakland, California, she was nominated for a Shellie award in 1990 for her performance in a production of The Wiz. Ledisi also studied piano and opera for five years at the University of California Berkeley, in their program for young musicians.

During the 90’s, Ledisi formed a group called Anibade with other musicians, playing a mixture of soul and jazz. Although the group recorded a demo, “Take Time,” which received a great deal of local airplay and won acclaim in the Bay Area, the group tried unsuccessfully to get signed to a major label. As a result of that, LeSun Records was born, the label formed by Ledisi and another band member Sundra Manning. By 2000, Ledisi released Soulsinger: The Revival, her first album, independently on her label. Two notable singles of this album were “Soulsinger” and “Get Outta of my Kitchen.” Celebrating the success of the album release and the formation of the independent label, Ledisi and her group Anibade went on tour. More accomplishments would follow with the release of her sophomore album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue, in 2002. In addition, she won “Outstanding Jazz Album” for her sophomore album at the California Music Awards and she recorded commercials for the Sci-fi Channel.

Following the signing of a major record deal with Verve Forecast in 2007, Ledisi, in 2008 released two albums, Lost & Found (third album) and It’s Christmas (fourth album). Lost & Found’s first single, “It’s Alright” (one of my favorite songs) charted #45 on the Billboard Hot R&B chart, while the single, “In The Morning” debuted at #49 on the charts. Other unreleased singles from Lost & Found also charted on Billboard. Along with her charting success, she has accumulated several awards and nominations.

Personally, I can’t say enough about Ledisi. She is definitely one of my favorite underground singer/songwriters by far. When I first heard her voice, I got chills; I said to myself, “damn this chick can sing!” At that time, I didn’t really know who she was, but I noted her name after the DJ mentioned it. Of course, I made it my mission to do a little research. From that point on, I’ve been a fan. I’ve purchased 3 of her 4 albums, and they stay in my cd player. Actually, Lost & Found is my favorite of the three I own, not to say that I dislike the others. Regardless of the album you choose to listen to, her voice demands your undivided attention, her lyrics touch your soul, and her band’s melodies make you wish they were in front of you playing live. In my opinion, Ledisi is a true underground/indie gem that deserves great recognition. Please enjoy the playlist I’ve put together for your listening pleasure, then log onto iTunes or bestbuy.com or wherever you go to buy music and purchase her album(s). Mark my words, they will be CLASSICS!

Resource Links:
Ledisi's Website
Ledisi's Myspace Page
Ledisi's Wiki Page

Ledisi