Ledisi Sings Nina

Ledisi's profound connection with Nina Simone's music began in 2003, when a radio DJ's spin of "Trouble in Mind" provoked a moment of catharsis at an extremely low period in the singer's life. Over the years, Ledisi performed and recorded the Simone composition "Four Women," seen on BET's Black Girls Rock, and heard on the soundtrack of For Colored Girls, headlined numerous Simone-themed concerts, and put on a Simone-honoring autobiographical play -- one that culminated in her interpretation of the song that was her providential gateway to (or lifeline from) the high priestess. Immediately preceded and followed by other celebrations of Simone, such as a PBS special and a Hollywood Bowl date, Ledisi Sings Nina strengthens the bond. Much ground is covered in its brief duration. It varies in mood and style amid a mix of songs Simone either wrote or re-envisioned, with Ledisi supported in grand style by her hometown New Orleans Jazz Orchestra and the Netherlands' Metropole Orkest. On a new version of "Four Women," Ledisi takes the spotlight after strong turns from Lizz Wright, Alice Smith, and Lisa Fischer, thereby reprising her role as "fourth woman" Peaches. She belts "I'll kill the first mother I see" as if her blood is boiling instead of cold, and the threat startles even when it's anticipated. "Feeling Good" and "My Baby Just Cares for Me" -- the latter updated with some winking modern references -- seemed done to death until Ledisi's frisky resuscitations here. On a stark and stirring "Ne me quitte pas," Ledisi craftily switches from Jacques Brel's original French lyrics to Rod McKuen's English adaptation. "Work Song" is flashier without trivializing the subject's grave circumstances. "I'm Going Back Home," high-energy gospel in original form, gets a brilliant NOLA second-line overhaul that celebrates Ledisi's origin and inspiration with equally elevated levels of conviction. What's most appealing is that Ledisi is herself at all times, empowered by Simone yet utterly distinct. Whereas most tribute sets are merely pleasant stop-gaps between proper LPs, this is as crucial to Ledisi's discography as any of her four Grammy-nominated albums. She put all of herself into it.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo