Turn Me Loose

チャカ・カーンも認めた現代レディ・ソウルの最高峰!ソウル、ジャズ、ファンクを自在に操り、パワフルなヴォーカルかつ圧倒的な歌唱力で聴く者を魅了するLEDISIのセカンド・アルバム。プロデュース陣は、RAPHAEL SAADIQ, JIMMY JAM & TERRY LEWIS, CHIEF XCEL,CHUCKY THOMPSON, REX RIDEOUT, IVAN & CARVIN, FYRE DEPTと本人LEDISIが名を連ねた豪華布陣。

Following Lost & Found, an album that earned Ledisi a pair of Grammy nominations, Turn Me Loose partially roots itself in the singer's past work and otherwise branches out from it. The album's title, as well as its cover, indicates a new, brash direction -- one that makes up only a portion of the set. Throughout the opening "Runnin," "Knockin'," and stretches of a couple other songs -- not to mention a charging, howling cover of Buddy Miles' "Them Changes" -- Ledisi and her band deliver rocking funk that cooks as hot as Labelle's "Messin' with My Mind" and "What Can I Do for You," or anything by Van Hunt. Here, Ledisi wails and belts with a kind of power previously untapped -- in recorded form, at least -- all the while maintaining remarkable finesse. "I Need Love," one of the collaborations with Ivan Barias and Carvin Haggins, is another highlight, seductively melancholy over a slick and slippery rhythm, while the title track's bluesy Southern soul backdrop seems just as ideal for Ledisi's voice. Most of the material that is in the vein of the subdued, sophisticated R&B showcased throughout much of Soulsinger and Lost & Found is fine, if sporadically tepid -- something that really comes through when heard with the harder material. Verve Forecast might be a little sheepish about their artist straying from the style that brought them success; on the sticker affixed to the album, the label singles out three songs, none of which break a sweat. They really should help her expose the versatility as much as possible. ~ Andy Kellman|

傑作の誉れ高い前作『Lost & Found』すら、本人的には大人しすぎた……かどうかは知らないが、ホリデイ盤を挿んでのメジャー2作目は、彼女らしさをより多面的に解き放つ内容となった。前作でも尽力したレックス・ライドアウトがしっとり系からズルムケな痛快ファンク・ロックまでを手掛け、他にも名立たる制作陣が集ったのはこの歌声に惚れ込んでのことだろう。ジャム&ルイス製スロウは彼らに〈歌いすぎ〉と怒られてないか余計な心配をしてしまうほどの熱さだし、同郷のラファエル・サディークとはリラックスしたほんわかムードを演出。ファイア・デプト（エリック・クラズノー他）のダイナミックなライヴ感との相性は言わずもがなだ。何より奔放で逞しいレディシ節という意味では前作以上かも。また傑作!
bounce (C)佐藤ともえ