Ledisi - 'Turn Me Loose'

Ledisi's first album for Verve Records, Lost & Found, was chock full of mature, Jazz-influenced R&B. It was a solid album, but it also didn't exactly establish her a a major presence in the music world. And on her follow-up, Turn Me Loose, Ledisi (it's pronounced led-uh-see) switches up and goes for a more up-tempo sound that leans more toward R&B than Jazz. And although it probably won't establish her as a major player in the music world, it's definitely an album that could win her some new fans. Turn Me Loose, as the title suggests, has more of a sense of immediacy and urgency than her previous work.

The change in musical direction for Ledisi between her last album, 2007's Lost & Found and Turn Me Loose (her fourth album overall, which was released Aug. 18, 2009) isn't drastic, but is very pronounced. Although she hasn't completely abandoned the low-key Jazz overtones of her previous music, this album is much more dynamic, with more of a sense of urgency than any of her music that has come before. And that urgency has resulted in some very compelling music. Exhibit A is the album's opening track, "Runnin," where she sings "I confess, I'm a mess and I'm tryin' to catch up to life/The clock keeps tickin' away and I'm losin' myself everyday." If she had recorded this song a few years ago, it probably would have been a slow, introspective song. But on this album, it's a two-minute, 18-second slice of hot, sassy vocals wrapped in Funk guitar and synthesizers. Likewise, the following song, "Everything Changes," has a sunny, upbeat sound, although the topic is somewhat serious. On the song, Ledisi sings about how people need to adapt to the inevitable changes that life brings: "You can't bring back what used to be, life don't stay the same ... everything changes." Whether intentional or not, the song could be seen as an answer to her longtime fans who may grumble - or at least wonder - about her new direction.

Ledisi's new musical direction is more inclusive of other styles: in addition to the Funk of the title track, there's the traditional mid-tempo R&B of the love song "Goin' Thru Changes," the rock-guitar based "Them Changes" (think Tina Turner and you've got right idea), the acoustic "The Answer To Why," (which sounds like something India.Arie would record) and "Love Never Changes," which sounds similar to Al Green's old-school Soul. Although she was nominated for a "Best New Artist" Grammy in 2007, this album is likely to do more for her career than anything she's recorded in the past. Part of the reason why is the team of producers she uses this time out. Music heavyweights Raphael Saadiq, Chucky Thompson and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis all contributed their skills to the album, and the results are very nice. One of the knocks on her last album was that it was too mellow. it was like a completely still lake: peaceful, relaxing, but not something you'd want to come back to every day for weeks or months on end. This album though, is more like a small river; it can also be relaxing, but there's also enough going on to make you want to come back from time to time. And Turn Me Loose is definitely worth repeat listening.