Following the release of
Where It All Begins, her sixth album, as well as subsequent appearances on recordings by a few other artists,
Lalah Hathaway received some long overdue recognition. A live recording with
Snarky Puppy -- a stupefying update of
Brenda Russell's "It's Something," a song she previously covered on her 1990 debut -- won the 2014 Grammy for Best R&B Performance. The following year, due to her lead on
Robert Glasper Experiment's interpretation of
Stevie Wonder's "Jesus Children of America," she accepted a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance. The second award could not have been too dusty on April 21, 2015, the night
Hathaway and her band played West Hollywood's Troubadour, where her father
Donny recorded his 1972-released set of the same title. (Clever touch: copies of the albums can be placed beside one another to make it appear as if two generations of soul royalty are singing to one another.) Like her father's album,
Lalah's includes a performance of "Little Ghetto Boy," and the faithful version here opens a set that easily bounces from point to point in her discography. Among the standouts are the consecutive "Baby Don't Cry" and "I'm Coming Back," both originally recorded for
Lalah Hathaway, and an 11-minute version of
Luther Vandross' "Forever, for Always, for Love" that best displays the increased depth and richness of
Hathaway's voice. The singer also does well by
Anita Baker with a fine version of the Top Five R&B classic "Angel," a song she has performed both for and with
Baker. Topped off with a pair of new, high-quality studio cuts that help fill the compact disc edition to capacity, this is essential for
Hathaway fans. ~ Andy Kellman