In 2009, Ledisi released her fourth album Turn Me Loose , which earned her a couple more Grammy nominations.
Ledisi's fifth album, Pieces Of Me, was released on June 14, 2011 debuting at #8 on the Billboard 200, her first entry on the top 10 of the album chart.
She and her band are from a new breed of modern soul singers (that fall into the New Organic Soul movement in the U.K.) that do not bow to the formulated 'pop' format that permeates the national charts of the U.K. and the U.S.A.
Her mother sang in an R & B band and opened her daughter's ears to classical music, then to jazz and gospel.
‘My mother is an inspiration to me because she was an R & B singer when I was growing up, and I'd watch her perform in the park by our house. I grew up on Earth, Wind and Fire. Tina Turner is my favorite’.
As a teenager Ledisi first sang in a friend’s band, but soon realised she'd have to form her own if she was going to get the creative freedom she desired.
She formed the group Anibade.
The band consisted of:
Sundra Manning (keyboards)
Cedrickke Dennis (guitar)
Nelson Braxton (bass)
Wayne Braxton (saxophone)
and Tommy Bradford on (drums)
Anibade means ‘my mother is great’ in Yoruba and also happens to be Ledisi's middle name.
The band the group performed at several nightspots including Bruno's, The Black Cat, and Rasselas, in the San Francisco area before, successfully, getting a local radio station, KMEL, to play the single ‘Take Time’, without any major label distribution.
Ledisi said, ‘We took it to other labels to try and get a deal, but we found that they didn't get it 'cause it wasn't already out there. We got frustrated with that.’
Ledisi is said to be recording a jazz record with bassist Marcus Shelby on Noir Records.
That album was due in early 2000, although the set has not yet surfaced.
Her first solo album ‘Soulsinger’, was, however, released in 2000, to critical acclaim.
The album addressed several personal issues, none more so than the track ‘Papa Loved To Love Me’, a harrowing tale of a father sexually abusing his daughter.
The track is uncomfortably close to home.
Ledisi said ‘My family heard it, though, and they said, 'Wow, you went and told everything!'. I know it's giving something away about myself, but it's a part of me. That's why people relate to a story like that.’
Eric Benét and Rahsaan Patterson recently attended her groups' concerts and they have opened for Eric Benet, D’Angelo and Angie Stone.
A second album entitled 'Feeling Orange And Sometimes Blue' was released in early 2002.
Ledisi travelled to London's Jazz Cafe in March 2003 for more gigs following a successful concert at Subterranea in the autumn of 2002.
She was supported by the Braxton Brothers along with several other performers.
Lost & Found
Ledisi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here on my own feels like the pain lasts an eternity
Tears come no more, I wanna smile again, love again
Please someone find me
Souls pass me by why can’t they see me here?
Touch me one time, just like magic I will reappear
Sadness like the rain it showers over me
Lost not yet found, grieving in misery
Hope lurks around, when will the sun ever shine on me?
I need love to come and carry me
Take me away, please someone find me
Are you seeing my soul? Maybe I'll scream and shout
Please someone call, I don't wanna live without love
Hear my plea, I have love to give
I wanna live, please someone find me
In "Lost & Found," Ledisi laments her loneliness and the pain that it brings her. She longs for someone to notice her and help her find her way back to happiness. She feels invisible as she watches souls pass her by without acknowledgement. Her sadness is comparable to the unending rain that showers over her. She yearns for love to carry her away from this misery and give her a reason to live again. Ledisi's heartfelt plea is that someone will finally find her and show her the love and attention she desperately craves.
Line by Line Meaning
Always alone, someone come for me
I feel alone, but I hope someone will come to be with me
Here on my own feels like the pain lasts an eternity
Being alone is causing me great pain and it feels like it will never end
Tears come no more, I wanna smile again, love again
I want to stop crying and be happy again, and find love again
Please someone find me
I am asking someone to find me and be with me
Souls pass me by why can’t they see me here?
People walk past me but don't seem to notice me or my pain
Touch me one time, just like magic I will reappear
A simple touch could make me feel better and more visible to others
Sadness like the rain it showers over me
My sadness is overwhelming and constant
I wanna feel again, please someone find me
I want to feel joy and happiness again, and I am asking someone to be with me
Lost not yet found, grieving in misery
I am lost and struggling to come out of my grief and sadness
Hope lurks around, when will the sun ever shine on me?
I have some hope, but I wonder when things will get better for me
I need love to come and carry me
I need someone to love me and support me through my pain
Take me away, please someone find me
I want to escape my current pain and I am asking someone to help me do that
Are you seeing my soul? Maybe I'll scream and shout
I am wondering if anyone really sees me and my pain. I might have to make noise to get attention
Please someone call, I don't wanna live without love
I am requesting someone to reach out to me, as I cannot live without love
Hear my plea, I have love to give
I am asking someone to listen to me, as I have love to offer in return for support
I wanna live, please someone find me
I want to survive and live a happy life. I am asking someone to help me find my way there
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: REX K. RIDEOUT, LEDISI ANIBADE YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind