Soul Express Album of the Month in November 2008
 Buy this album from our CD Shop
LEDISI
It's Christmas
US Verve Forecast, 2008
1) I'll Go - w. Richard Smallwood 2) Children Go Where I Send Thee 3) Give Love on Christmas Day
4) Be There for Christmas 5) This Christmas (Could Be the One)
6) Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
7) What Are You Doing New Year's Eve? 8) It's Christmas 9) What a Wonderful World
10) Please Come Home for Christmas - w. Keb' Mo'11) Silent Night 12) Thank You
For yours truly, Ledisi's Verve debut Lost & Found was a slight disappointment,
since it seemed that Verve was trying to play it safe and only introduce Ledisi to R&B chart
music buyers. But when the end result was that Ledisi reached the top ten of Billboard
R&B album chart and was nominated for Grammy in two different categories, "Best New Artist" and "Best R&B Album",
Ledisi was hardly disappointed herself!
Anyway, on the previous album the record company had dropped almost all the real instruments,
but on this Xmas set Ledisi is backed by excellent jazz and soul musicians like Gerald
Albright, Michael White, Greg Smith, Larry Kimpel, Ray Fuller and George Duke,
so this is finally the musical atmosphere I wished Verve would provide for Ledisi. Furthermore,
the good news is that this album does not only contain traditional Christmas songs,
but Ledisi has also co-written four excellent new songs, all of which are outstanding.
Ledisi also covers the Motown Xmas chestnut Give Love on Christmas Day, originally
performed by The Jackson 5, but also recorded by Johnny Gill, New Edition
and The Temptations, and I have to admit that I have learnt to like the melody
and Ledisi interprets the tune in her unique, passionate manner over the string and horns
flavoured background. Beautiful.
The first new song Be There for Christmas reminds me of Steve Harley's
funky Rufus-influenced production style, while Ledisi delivers her gutsy vocals over
the brass-drenched backdrop with tenor and baritone saxes, a trombone and a trumpet. Errol
Cooney plays the short guitar solo. All the music on the album has been recorded live
in the studio.
This Christmas (Could Be the One) is a neat ballad tune written by Lorenzo Johnson
together with Ledisi, and the acoustic piano based backing is almost as delicious as the
musical setting on Anita Baker's Christmas album. Still, even much better is the
peak of the album, the title track It's Christmas, which is written by Ledisi with
George Duke, and this will be a timeless masterpiece in the years to come. The new composition is
of classic status, and the refined jazzy instrumentation is just perfect, but naturally
Ledisi herself steals the show with her gorgeous, colourful vocalising. Certainly one of the
most arresting moments in soul (and jazz) music in recent years.
Ledisi herself cites the closing cut Thank You as "the hardest song I’ve ever sung";
the track is a rootsy upbeat plodder with a gospel-ly feel. Personally, I prefer the peaceful
seasonal tunes on the album, especially Ledisi's beautiful jazz-inclined interpretations
of the Louis Armstrong evergreen What a Wonderful World - featuring Christian
Scott on trumpet - the much-covered Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and the song which is familiar from Lou Rawls' repertoire, What
Are You Doing on New Years Eve?. Considering the fact that Ledisi recorded the whole
project in three days, these readings are amazingly profound.
Another must-have item for all Ledisi fans.
- Ismo Tenkanen
Soul Express
Editor
The Latest
CD Reviews
Albums
of the Month in 2008
Albums
of the Month in 2007
Albums
of the Month in 2006
Albums
of the Month in 2005
Albums
of the Month in 2004
Albums
of the Month in 2003
Albums
of the Month in 2002
Albums
of the Month in 2001
Albums
of the Month in 2000
Albums
of the Month in 1999
Albums
of the Month in 1998
Albums
of the Month in 1997
Other CD
reviews
Back to
our home page
|
