COURTESY OF NJPAC
Ledisi performs at NJPAC in Newark, June 1.
Ledisi and Marsha Ambrosius have separately taken the stage at Newark’s New Jersey Performing Arts Center many times. Considered an NJPAC favorite, Ledisi appeared as recently as March, with Raheem DeVaughn opening. Ambrosius was there in support of Musiq Soulchild in November 2024. I even attended Ambrosius’ headlining show at this venue way back in 2013.
Their NJPAC show on June 1 marked the fourth stop in their Love You Too: The Tour. (They will also perform in Atlantic City, June 6.) The pairing seems natural on paper, as they appeal to the same demographics. Both are astounding traditional R&B vocalists with whistle register, scat styling and ad-libs that run up and down the scales, though their differences are unmistakable upon close examination.
One of the thrills of seeing live music is the prospect of being exposed to other acts through your favorites. While most shows introduce the audience to up-and-comers, for me Ledisi’s Love You Too: The Tour works in the opposite direction. Though I do own a copy of her major-label debut, Lost & Found (2007), and am well aware of her Grammy win and 14 nominations, I haven’t followed her closely. Conversely, I have seen Ambrosius — billed as the “special guest” but essentially the opening act — multiple times in the past two decades, both as part of the duo Floetry and as a solo artist.
Floetry (and later Ambrosius) enjoyed considerable airplay back when BET still programmed music video blocks. I became a fan of theirs and their contemporaries such as Jill Scott and Glenn Lewis of the Philly scene anchored by producers Andre Harris and Vidal Davis. I assume Ledisi is better known to the NPR crowd, as she has had her own Tiny Desk Concert, whereas Ambrosius has only had a cameo in Robert Glasper’s. Ambrosius sings mostly about men, while Ledisi favors songs that celebrate womanhood.
COURTESY OF NJPAC
Marsha Ambrosius performs at NJPAC.
Dressed in a lacy top and silky long skirt, Ambrosius mostly stood center stage behind the microphone, though she was never still. Rich emotions flowed through her voice and her arms, reaching every corner of the auditorium. Wearing a sparkly black blazer and black leggings, Ledisi was a lot more animated, pacing around the stage constantly, working the concertgoers and prompting them to sing along. When the grown and sexy crowd preferred to stay in their seats, she playfully disparaged their sedentariness as bougie.
Casablanco, Ambrosius’s 2024 album and her first on Dr. Dre’s Aftermath imprint, has a distinct vintage sound complete with horns and strings. She performed three tracks from it: “One Night Stand,” “Thrill Her” and “Music of My Mind.” With the backing of only a four-piece band, the growth of her artistry on the new album wasn’t readily apparent from the live set. Her signature layered vocals were also missing, since there were no backup singers on stage. Not that the set suffered any — it was just different for those who went in with the records in mind.
Ambrosius was only allotted 45 minutes, but she managed to jam 10 songs into the set, including a couple of Floetry favorites and a cover of Patti LaBelle’s “If Only You Knew.” Call me biased, but I believe she deserved to be a co-headliner on this tour and given more stage time (though as a fan, I was immensely satisfied by what she gave us in such a short window).
COURTESY OF NJPAC
Ledisi at NJPAC.
Ledisi also had four-piece backing, though she was afforded a couple of back-up vocalists who also dabbled in choreography. (Full disclosure: I had to cram her discography a bit to get up to date before the show.) What stood out from her set were the extended ad-libs that you didn’t get on the records, which drove fans wild.
She was touring in support of her album The Crown, released in April, and the set included the new tracks “Love You Too,” “7 Days of Weak,” “Daydreaming,” “I Do,” “BLKWMN” and “Making a Way.” These were terrific, especially “7 Days of Weak” and “Daydreaming.” She sang “BLKWMN” with an affected vocal, reminiscent of jazz giants like Nina Simone. It was a treat to hear her perform these live after just getting acquainted with the record.
The set included quite a few covers: Maze’s “Happy Feelin’s,” Angie Stone’s “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” Mary J. Blige’s “My Life,” Tony! Toni! Toné!’s “Whatever You Want.” Ledisi’s unique interpretations truly made an impression here.
Though the crowd ate up her vocal acrobatics and mind-blowing high notes, my favorite moments of the set were the most stripped-down ones when she was backed only by keyboardist Joe Harley on “I Do” or bassist Ronald “CJ” Alexander on “Daydreaming.” Sometimes less is indeed more.
Ledisi and Marsha Ambrosius will perform at Caesars in Atlantic City, June 6 at 9 p.m.; visit ticketmaster.com.
_________________________________________
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.
