LP – Black Vinyl

Grammy-winning vocalist Ledisi‘s latest album is dedicated to keeping her idol Nina Simone‘s energy alive.

Ledisi credits Simones music for saving her life, recalling in this albums liner notes, I heard her when I was still very youngin Oakland in my twenties. I was depressed, my life was a mess, and I heard her on the radio singing Trouble in Mind. [T]hat song woke me up Ninas voice said to me I was not alone.

That memory fuelsLedisi Sings Nina, in which she renders seven of Simones classics. Ledisis a cappella intro to Feeling Good hits you in the face like ice-cold water, and she scats like she invented scatting, all backed by the world-renowned Metropole Orkest.

On the Spanish-tinged standard Wild Is the Wind, she exercises her lower vocal range to match Simones; this is the albums only live recording from her 2020 PBS special broadcast tribute to Simone. On Four Women, arguably one of the most controversial Simone hits, which celebrates Black women and condemns their societal stereotypes, Ledisi teams up with vocalists Lisa Fischer, Lizz Wright, and Alice Smith. Their vocal ranges and styles are different yet meld perfectly. – excerpt fromjazztimes.com

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Feeling Good
2. My Baby Just Cares For Me
3. Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me)
4. Wild Is The Wind (Live)

Side B
1. Work Song
2. Four Women
3. I’m Going Back Home