If there was one takeaway from Grammy Award-winner Ledisi’s “Love You Too, The Tour” Thursday night at The Stifel Theatre, it is that R&B and soul are not dead.
With special guest Marsha Ambrosius, fans grooved from past to present with their original hits and songs from those who inspired these two ladies of soul.
Ambrosius started things off smoothly and sensually with “One Night Stand” leading into “Late Night & Early Morning” where she displayed her melodic heavenly falsetto ending with a snippet of Prince’s quiet storm classic “The Beautiful Ones.”
The moment wouldn’t be the only time the music of Prince – who inspired Ambrosius as an artist – was featured in her impressive set.
Prince’s music also made an appearance in her urban adult contemporary hit “Far Away.” Ambrosius began slowly and quietly initially, but her singing intensified as the song progressed.
The lights overhead transitioned into a deep moody purple that matched the heavy emotion of this song that slowly faded into the outro of “Purple Rain” with a rousing solo from the lead guitar.
Ambrosius also gave audiences tributes to Patti LaBelle with “If Only You Knew” and Teena Marie by way of a snippet of “Portuguese Love” – a song she said inspired her to become a creative when she heard it for the first time at four years old.
She then performed her highly anticipated radio hits like “Butterflies” and “Your Hands.” The audience cheered and nodded along with the opening chords, and sang once the lyrics started. Ladies danced in their seats, with hands in the air – their charm bracelets clanging to the beat.
Her set concluded with “Say Yes” – Ambrosius’ breakthrough hit from her debut album as a member of the R&B and spoken word duo Floetry. She started a cappella, and the audience picked up the lyrics immediately. They sang softly along, backed by a sultry bass guitar that took a solo at the bridge. Ambrosius shared that the song was originally written for Ron Isley. She ended the song by imitating his infamous “la-di-da” mixed with her own improvised runs before leaving the stage.
Ledisi rose out of a small opening in the center of the stage wrapped in bright lights that flickered as she appeared. She was joined by two backup singers whose voices were just as strong as hers. All three were dressed in black. Ledisi wore tights under an oversized sequined shawl-lapel blazer jacket that she fashioned as a dress.
A rotating light show of hot pink and purple lights flickered around the stage and cascaded across the audience as she began to sing “Keep U In Mind” and “Alright.”
Her bubbly personality filled the room when she performed “High,” an inspirational song about the desire to heal and lead a better life. She moved into her tour’s namesake, “Love You Too.” She encouraged the fans to “wiggle” in their seats, just as she learned to do from her mother. Ledisi said her mother would “wiggle” in the mirror while playing her favorite records. She realized in these moments her mom was practicing self-love and appreciation for her body, something she wants all her fans to do.
Staying on the theme of love, she transitioned into “7 DAYS OF WEAK” and “DAYDREAMING,” two new songs from “The Crown album she released in April of this year. She sang these slow and sensual songs under pulsing red lights with subtle choreography she performed alongside her backup dancers. Those familiar proudly sang along. Others rocked in their seats.
Ledisi then took a moment to pay homage to her favorite R&B legends we recently lost with snippets from “Happy Feelings” by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, “No More Rain” by Angie Stone, “Whatever You Want” by Tony! Toni! Toné! She concluded the “in memoriam” moment with a soulful mashup of Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” and the origin of its sample, “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” by Roy Ayers.
She moved through her two-plus decades of music, like her 2009 favorite “In The Morning.” Ledisi also leaned on her latest album with songs like “I DO” and “BLKWNM.” The latter is a poetic song that resembles Nina Simone’s “Four Women.” After “BLKWNM,” she proceeded with what seemed to be the most anticipated song of the night, “Pieces of Me.”
Hands flew in the air and cheers filled the room as the band played the intro. Though singing live, her voice perfectly matched the record. She sang in tandem with the audience, getting lost in her signature runs as she moved along the edge of the stage.
She finally transitioned into her Grammy Award winning hit “Anything For You”, a deeply resonant song that turned into a testimony and brought people to their feet. They remained standing for the final song of the set, “I Blame You.” Everyone in the audience seemed to know the upbeat tune. They sang along as the lights overhead fluttered in pink and blue. Ledisi did a two-step across the stage and said her goodbyes as the song came to an end. The band continued to play the upbeat tune and the audience danced their way into the vestibule, bringing the unforgettable night to a close.
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