There are a lot of ways to tell when a female artist has cemented her reputation as a top line act. In Ledisi's case, it isn't the seven Grammy nominations, or partnering with Essence magazine on a semi-inspirational book, Better Than Alright: Finding Peace, Love and Power.
But any female artist who can enlist Eric Benet (aka the former Mr. Halle Berry) as her opener without blinking an eye — you know that artist has something special. After all, soul music, real soul music, is as much about communication as execution. And Ledisi's 90-minute set at the Mahaffey showed she can make an audience filled with female fans forget about the chiseled man-dish that came on before her. She mugged and joked, trotted out old dances, mimed, soliloquized, and turned in a performance that was equal parts standup comedy, coffehouse-flavored musical musings, and woman-to-woman advice show. Cinematic, for sure, but more Waiting to Exhale than Madea Goes to Jail.
"After 12 years, I do what I want to do." she told the crowd.
Benet's set was brief, but satisfying, full of throbbing beats and rock-solid ensemble playing. Unlike hip hop, which often loses its potency in the translation from headphone to stage, soul (it's probably all right to drop the "neo" part after 20 years) hulks out in live settings, thanks in large part to the church bred musicianship — Google "gospel chops" and brace yourself — that, according to some cultural reactionaries, has been wiped out by the advent of "technology" (i.e. hip-hop and electronica). In reality, the technology has increased the quality of soul's live sound, especially in acoustically friendly venues like the Mahaffey, giving it the kind of oomph that, two decades ago, was reserved for big budget productions. And for a sex symbol like Benet, a little low end throb is good — as soul sex symbols go, he's the Ace of Spades, after Maxwell's Low Joker and D'Angelo's High Joker (emphasis on high). He capped his set with an explosive rendition of Toto's "Georgie Porgie," re-cast by Benet on his Day in the Life album, highlighted the brass knuckles under Benet's velvety exterior.
While Benet went for glandular response, Ledisi took the chicken-soup approach. Benet is the bad boy you regret creeping out with. Ledisi is the BFF who listens to you cry over the phone and invites you over for an ice cream sundae. Which doesn't mean her material doesn't aim for some of the same glandular centers as Benet. The rather transparent metaphor of "Coffee" ("Serve it to me tall, strong and dark / Just like I like my coffee / you wake me up like Folgers in my cup') came bundled with a savage back beat that seemed to cry out for an Eminem guest verse. The sultry "In the Morning" was the set's highlight. Introduced by the New Orleans native as a "very dysfunctional song," it covered familiar territory — namely, "not being careful about who you allow into your circle"as Ledisi put it. But it highlighted some of Ledisi's strongest suits: witty ad-libs, an Everwoman-ish narrative style. By the time she closed out the set with the rousing sing-along "All Right," more than a few audience members were probably placing book orders from their smartphones. Which, as the song goes, is all right, too.