Ledisi, Here | Track Review

Ledisi adds to her rich collection of soulful hits with “Here,” the third single from her sixth major label album, Let Love Rule.

In 2017, adult contemporary R&B artist Ledisi decided she would Let Love Rule.  She began by being on a “High” months before dropping the new album. “High” was marvelous, balancing modern and classic R&B sensibilities.  Then, she added to the excellence with “Add to Me”. On “Add to Me” she showcased her ability to give a truly biting vocal performance. Now she returns with another gem in “Here.”

“Here” instantly has an old-school, adult contemporary R&B vibe. Naturally, this suits Ledisi as an artist perfectly. The harmonic scheme has old-school qualities as well. The jazzier progression is more daring than you basic, everyday chords. As always, she exhibits an excellent, pure vocal tone. With such a powerful instrument on her hands, she showcases incredible restraint, particularly compared to some of her past, more histrionic-laden performances.  She lets loose, instinctively, at the right moments

The production is fantastic. It’s uncluttered well mixed, and thoughtfully blended together. There are plenty of well executed musical cues: backing vocals, horns, guitar, piano, etc.  With so much to praise, “Here” is devoid of any major miscues.  It’s not perfect and definitely not groundbreaking, but this shows her flexing hard.

Final Thoughts

All in all, “Here” is the old-school, adult contemporary R&B fan’s dream.  It is well-produced, soundly written, and exceptionally performed.  Again, there is no reinvention or deep transcendent performance here, but, this is good, quality, R&B music without question.  Ledisi continues to be a boss.

Ledisi • Let Love Rule • Verve • Release: 9.22.17

Photo Credit: Verve