Out of nowhere, Ledisi has put out Pieces of Me. The sultry jazz influenced has been the one of the must virtuous “neo-soul” artists in recent history. With an independent spirit and strong cultural sensibilities, Ledisi developed her sound and following. Now, she is ready to reflect on where she is right now. Pieces of Me is that fluent companion piece to an artist that has truly grown over the years.
     With the title track, Ledisi expresses her true nature over piano stabs and soothing synths. She wants to let the listener know “like every woman I know/I’m complicated fo sho/ But when I love I love til there’s no love no mo”. “Bravo” unleashes a newfound sense of security and positivity. This is the song geared towards the celebration of life. Even within other tracks (“Shut Up”, “BGTY”), there is a sense of self-purpose and positivity that could rival some of your best gospel artists.
     Still, Ledisi takes time for the amorous serenades we all know her for. . She gets into the highs of love with tracks like “So Into You”, “Stay Together”, and even the measured miss-you-song “I Gotta Get To You”. Even still, she takes the time out to bring us a song of troubled love by the name of “Hater”. In this one, she acknowledges the lament that her lover feels for her actions. Even within her love songs, there is that tinge of honesty; that tinge of imperfection that helps us connect to her music even more.
     Ledisi brought a healthy dose of love and self-love within her album. There is a keen mixture of love and personal growth oozing out of the pores of this music. The listener will not help but to become enamored with the vibe Ledisi is sending off. She knows what she wants and she is working to get it. I hope she succeeds since we now get to understand her piece by piece.

Review written by Mark A. Harris, contributing writer for STACKS Magazine