Artist: Ledisi
Title: Turn Me Loose
Label: Verve Forecast
Genre: Soul
Ledisi finally entered the mainstream consciousness with her 2007 Grammy nominated album Lost & Found, which was undoubtedly a soul masterpiece. She follows up that breakthrough performance with Turn Me Loose, an album that finds her channeling her inner Tina Turner and working with an assortment of top producers that includes Raphael Saadiq and Carl “Chucky” Thompson. While Turn Me Loose may not feel like the revelation that Lost & Found was, it is still an exemplary album that shines with excellent vocals, thoughtful songwriting and crisp production.
When talking about Ledisi her exceptional vocal ability needs to come first. A truly powerful instrument, Ledisi’s voice is a star unto itself making the best songs soar while uplifting the forgettable ones. The vibe of the album is very different from that of Lost & Found, finding inspiration in blues and rock & roll. The aggressive flavor of the productions compliment Ledisi’s strong voice quite well. She belts it out right in sync with the blaring horns and banging drums on the freedom anthem “Turn Me Loose” and the funky “Knockin”. The albums works best when opting for sexy retro-soul grooves such as the Raphael Saadiq assisted “Love Never Changes” and “Please Stay.” Although the retro vibe is losing steam, these two tracks sound fresh in Ledisi’s capable arms. But when the singer adds her incredible voice to some more contemporary productions the results are breathtaking. Just listen to “I Need Love”, a pop-hit-in-waiting that sizzles with electro pop energy or the sassy “Trippin” with its reggae groove and kiss-off lyrics. There are some tracks that veer a bit too far in the cheesy pop territory but for the most part Turn Me Loose is a strong follow-up and one that will no doubt win Ledisi a legion of new fans.
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