Listen Up: Ledisi fits 'Pieces' together perfectly

By Steve Jones, USA TODAY

The singer/songwriter finds confidence on her most personal album so far.

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  Ledisi is already a four-time Grammy nominee.

Ledisi is already a four-time Grammy nominee.

Ledisi, Pieces of Me

* * * � (out of four) SOUL

Each of Ledisi's previous two albums ? 2007's Lost and Found and 2009's Turn Me Loose? has netted her a pair of Grammy nominations, but on her new album, she isn't resting on her laurels.

Pieces of Me, the singer/songwriter's fifth studio album, is her most personal to date. She opens with the soul-baring title track, on which she takes stock of the many aspects of her character. It sets her off on a journey of self-discovery that gives her confidence in both love and life.

Her resonant vocals brim with emotion as she sings about finding (I Gotta Get to You), sustaining (Stay Together) and ending (I Miss You Now) relationships. She also touches on treating yourself well (BGTY), staying positive (Shut Up) and staying focused on your goals (Raise Up). The wistful Coffee describes a good man, while the swaggering Hate Me finds her playfully chiding a man who is after her.

Ledisi co-wrote most of the tracks, and with help from John Legend, Claude Kelly and Rex Rideout, Pieces celebrates all that makes her special.

>>Download:Pieces of Me, Coffee, BGTY

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Source: http://rssfeeds.usatoday.com/~r/usatoday-LifeTopStories/~3/qiuduEG25L0/2011-06-13-listen-up-ledisi_n.htm

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