Ledisi: For Dinah

I hadn’t heard of Ledisi before, but I sure had heard of Dinah. When I first got into jazz many years ago, I spent a great deal of time listening to Dinah Washington. Listening to Ledisi pay tribute to the Queen of the Blues, I get nostalgic. She kicks off the album with Dinah’s 1957 signature, “What a Difference a Day Makes,” with an intoxicating blues vibe. Ledisi has a big, soulful, smoky voice. She can scat like hell too—check out her bluesy rendition of “If I Never Get to Heaven.” Of course, she can also swing and her duet with Gregory Porter on “You’ve Got What It Takes” is a beautiful collaboration. With Christian McBride anchoring the double bass, Ledisi declares, “You don’t know what love is / Until you’ve learned the meaning of the blues.” For Dinah is a short and sweet tribute that is filled with the blues.