“My intimate truth is like everyone else in the world: I want to be loved and I want to be heard. How about that?” said Grammy-nominated soul singer Ledisi.
She was providing insight on the title of her latest album, “The Intimate Truth,” which dropped on Tuesday, March 3.
The generally accepted fact among R&B and soul music fans is that the only people who don’t love her are the ones who haven’t heard her.
She’s flown just under mainstream urban music’s radar for the better part of a decade, but has enjoyed a steady stream of success – and buzz from a high-profile cameo in the Academy Award-nominated film, “Selma.”
“I actually enjoy that I’m new to some people all the time – that means I’m gathering a new generation every album,” Ledisi said. “Hopefully I can keep the audience, and I love being the combination of old and new.”
St. Louis will have a chance to hear and love her all the more as she returns to the Pageant this Sunday, March 8 to headline the “Intimate Truth Tour” with Leela James and Raheem DeVaughn.
“They will definitely hear soul and passion,” Ledisi said. “Not just from me, but from my friends Leela and Raheem. I want them to leave feeling uplifted, too, that they got something from my show, that they leave there empowered – I guess a little like church.”
It’s nearly impossible not to feel something when hearing her voice – the scats, the tone and the power put her on a short list of contemporary artists who can hold their own against the vocal legends.
Surely her voice had everything to do with her being asked by director Ava DuVernay to audition for the role of gospel music icon Mahalia Jackson in “Selma.”
“I didn’t think I could do the role – even after I got the part,” Ledisi said. “There was only one Mahalia. There was this spiritual connection she had to the song [“Take My Hand, Precious Lord”] – and to God – that was just amazing, and it can’t be duplicated.”
The Thomas Dorsey gospel standard was famously the favorite song of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and was performed by Jackson at his funeral.
What liberated Ledisi from the pressure of the role was focusing on delivering the significance of the song to Dr. King and the movement, as opposed to delivering a spot-on imitation.
“I put on that costume, after months of studying, and that’s when I felt that it wasn’t about me,” Ledisi said.
With her own material, one of her biggest joys comes from sharing the content of her lyrics.
“It’s a great feeling to be able to walk down the street and have people come up to me and say, ‘This one song you sang, it got me through a lot of crap,’” Ledisi said.
She admits there are challenges to her work.
“I love that I can inspire people and make women feel sexy and have fun – there’s a classy way to do that, too, it doesn’t have to be ratchet,” Ledisi said. “But if y’all want to see changes in the limelight, you’ve got to support R&B more than you have.”
Ledisi lays it all out on her records and on the stage, but for more than just herself and the fans.
“Music is a passion of mine, but it’s also a passion of my mother and my father,” Ledisi said. “I feel like I’m carrying for them as well. They didn’t get to finish, so I’m always trying to go past and complete the dream for them. Every time I’m on stage, that’s what drives me – completing the dream.”
Anybody who has seen her knows that she opens – and empties – her heart with every performance. She promises the same for her St. Louis return.
“I try to imagine myself as the audience member. If I spent money getting there and making all of this effort to see you, I want to feel something,” Ledisi said. “I want them to leave my show ready to ignite the world and inspire others and keep lifting themselves.”
Steve Litman Productions’ presentation of The Intimate Truth Tour starring Ledisi will take place on Sunday, March 8 at The Pageant, 6161 Delmar. For more information, visit www.thepageant.com or call (314) 726-6161.
