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.
The truth
Ledisi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I woke up Sunday Morning
Had to face the truth
The truth about me and you
Ah baby ooh
We don't even kiss
Can't live my life like this
I don't love you like I used to ooh
You know that we grew apart
Scared to leave
Just don't want to be lonely
Instead we wasted to much time
Living lies
It's time we face the truth baby
The truth about me and you
Ahh baby ooh
In Ledisi's song The Truth, the singer begins by comparing the awakening of the truth to a hurricane without warning. She woke up on a Sunday morning and had to come to terms with the truth about her relationship with her partner. The truth she faces is that she no longer loves the person like she used to and cannot continue with the relationship as it is.
She laments the fact that they do not even kiss and declares that she cannot live her life like this anymore. The time has come for her to acknowledge the truth and face it head-on. The singer acknowledges that they grew apart and were scared to leave each other but could not remain in a loveless relationship. Instead, they wasted too much time living lies and pretending that everything was okay.
The song's message is a powerful one; it encourages people to face the truth in their lives, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. The truth can be a painful thing to confront, but in the end, it brings about growth and healing.
Line by Line Meaning
Like a hurricane without warning
I suddenly came to a realization that shook me up, just like a hurricane that strikes without warning.
I woke up Sunday Morning
This realization came to me just as I woke up on a Sunday morning.
Had to face the truth
I had to confront and accept the reality of our situation.
The truth about me and you
I had to acknowledge and accept the reality of our relationship and how it has changed.
Ah baby ooh
Expressing my emotional state of sadness and disappointment with a groan.
We don't even kiss
Our physical intimacy has faded away and we no longer even kiss.
Can't live my life like this
I cannot continue to live in a relationship that lacks passion and intimacy.
Time to face the truth baby
It is time for both of us to confront and acknowledge the reality of our relationship.
I don't love you like I used to ooh
I have come to the realization that my love for you has diminished and I do not feel the same way as before.
You know that we grew apart
Both of us have grown apart and our relationship has changed over time.
Scared to leave
I am afraid to end the relationship because of the uncertainty and fear of being alone.
Just don't want to be lonely
I am holding onto the relationship because I fear being lonely without you.
Instead we wasted to much time
We have spent too much time pretending and avoiding the truth instead of addressing the issues in our relationship.
Living lies
Our relationship has been built on lies and pretense, which is unsustainable in the long run.
It's time we face the truth baby
We both need to come to terms with the truth about ourselves and our relationship.
The truth about me and you
We cannot move forward until we acknowledge and accept the reality of our relationship.
Ahh baby ooh
Expressing my emotional state of sadness and disappointment with a groan.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DARHYL CAMPER, JON WEBB, LEDISI YOUNG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind