Ledisi: Pieces Of Me

Louisiana native Ledisi drops her 5th album today!!! This is an album that you should really add to your collection.  The album is entitled, "Pieces Of Me." 

Ledisi Anibade Young is an American recording artist, singer-songwriter, record producer, CEO and actress. Her first name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba. Ledisi is known for her jazz influenced vocals. In 1995, Ledisi formed the group known as Anibade. After unsuccessfully trying to get the group signed to a major label, she formed LeSun Records with Sundra Manning. Along with her group Anibade, Ledisi released an album entitled Take Time. The album gained major airplay from local radio stations.

In 2000, Ledisi released her first album, entitled Soulsinger: The Revival. Ledisi and her group toured in 2001, performing various shows. In 2002, Ledisi released her second album, Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue. The album won her an award for "Outstanding Jazz Album" at the California Music Awards.

Ledisi grew up in a musical family; her mother sang in a Louisiana R&B band and her stepfather, Joseph Pierce,III, (deceased) was a drummer in the New Orleans area. Her biological father is soul singer Larry Saunders, although he left the family when she was a baby and the two did not meet again for nearly three decades. Ledisi first began performing publicly at age eight with the New Orleans Symphony Orchestra.

In 2007, Ledisi signed a major record deal with Verve Forecast and released her third album in August of that year, entitled Lost & Found, which sold almost 217,000 copies and earned her two Grammy nominations, including one for Best New Artist. In 2008, Ledisi released her Christmas album, It's Christmas.

In 2009, Ledisi released her fourth album Turn Me Loose, which earned her 2 Grammy nominations.

D. Martez