| Let Love Rule | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 22, 2017 [1] | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 44:17 | |||
| Label | Verve | |||
| Producer |
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| Ledisi chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Let Love Rule | ||||
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Let Love Rule is the eighth studio album by American musician Ledisi. It was released in September 2017 under Verve Records. The album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 60th Grammy Awards in January 2018. [2]
Following the release of her seventh album The Truth (2014), two concert tours: The Truth Tour (2014) and The Intimate Truth Tour (2015), and her portrayal of Mahalia Jackson in the historical drama film Selma (2014), Ledisi took a career hiatus in 2016. She returned to recording music at the request of her music collaborator and producer Rex Rideout. [3]
This project was harder for me because I wasn't ready to record. It's like going into a marathon and you're physically in there but your mental isn't there. That's how I was, trying to get into it. I just wasn't ready, but Rex was like, It's time.' When I started to work on it and met different producers and different people, I didn’t know who they were. I just walked into a room empty, blank, not really knowing what to do. I just became a follower and it opened a door for me to experience different writers and producers. I had a good time working with DJ Khalil, John Legend as a writer. Working with Rex [Rideout] was my favorite still because it was just basic piano and singing. It was us together just writing a song the old-fashioned way.
Ledisi recorded the album in sessions at 17 Hertz Studio, DJ Khalil Studios, Unit 2 Studio, and Paramount Recording Studios in Los Angeles; Luminous Sound in Dallas, Texas; Uncle Jessie's Kitchen in Arlington, Texas; and IV Lab Studios in Chicago, Illinois. [4] She collaborated with several record producers and songwriters, including John Legend,Sam Barsh, Daniel Seeff, Butta-N-BizKit, Charles Hinshaw Jr., Hue Strother, DJ Camper, Timothy Bullock, Nelson Davis, Coleridge Tillman, Ivan Barias, Jacquetta Singleton, Jeff Gitelman, Jairus Mozee, Bryan Sledge, and long-time collaborator Rex Rideout. [4] She also collaborated with some musicians she had never worked with in the past, such as DJ Khalil on "Shot Down"; Kirk Franklin on "If You Don't Mind". [4] Aside from spoken word interludes by Iyanla Vanzant and Soledad O'Brien as well as "If You Don't Mind" by Kirk Franklin, Ledisi either co-wrote or co-produced all material on Let Love Rule. [4]
In July 2017, Ledisi told Billboard magazine that the album "This album was one of the hardest I've ever worked on. We were looking for songs that could stand the test of time. This wasn't a quickie; it was about great songwriting. I've come back to what I love about R&B and also what I love about today’s music." [1] She recorded a mixture of songs and interlude [ disambiguation needed ]s inspired by 1970's soul to 21st century R&B. [1] [5]
On July 31, 2017, Ledisi revealed the title of the album and its release date to Billboard magazine. [1] In August 2017, Ledisi performed "High" on the annual award show Black Girls Rock!. Let Love Rule was released on September 22, 2017. [1] She later performed "High" on American syndicated talk show Harry on October 6, 2017.[ citation needed ] On November 21, 2017, Ledisi appeared on NPR Music's Tiny Desk to perform a brief set list of songs from the album; including "Let Love Rule", "Add to Me", and "High". [6]
"High" was released as the first single on May 12, 2017. The song, a mixture of trap music and R&B, entered Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart on June 17, 2017, and peaked at number seven. [7] It spent a total of twenty-one weeks on the chart. [7] On August 21, 2017, Ledisi released the music video for "High", directed by her husband Ron T. Young. "Add to Me" was released as the album's second single on September 22, 2017. The song peaked at number nineteen on the Adult R&B Songs chart. [7] The music video was also directed by Ron T. Young.
"If You Don't Mind", which features gospel musician Kirk Franklin, was released as a radio-only single in late 2017. The song peaked number ten on Billboard's Hot Gospel Songs chart, number eleven on the Gospel Airplay chart, and number seventeen on the Gospel Digital Song Sales chart. [7] On January 12, 2018, Ledisi released "All the Way" as the final single of the album. The song peaked number eight on the Adult R&B Songs chart. [7]
On October 25, 2017, Ledisi embarked on The Rebel, The Soul & The Saint Tour alongside Kirk Franklin and PJ Morton. During the tour, Ledisi performed a R&B set list. The tour received positive reviews for its innovative way in "combining multi-genres on one bill could only be deemed risky by those not knowing that prior to the 1900s gospel music had influenced jazz and blues and after the 1900s jazz and blues were influencing gospel music." [8]
In May 2018, she embarked on the Let Love Rule Tour to promote the album, with Melanie Fiona and Tweet opening for her. [9] The tour featured seventeen dates and ended on June 19, 2018.
| Date (2018) | City | Venue | |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | |||
| May 24 | Raleigh | The Ritz | |
| May 25 | Charlotte | The Fillmore | |
| May 26 | Atlanta | Soul Life Music Festival | |
| May 27 | Orlando | House of Blues | |
| May 29 | Greensboro | Cone Denim Center | |
| May 30 | Greenville | Peace Center Concert Hall | |
| June 1 | Washington, D.C. | Capital Jazz Festival | |
| June 2 | Atlantic City | Borgata Resort & Spa | |
| June 3 | Montclair | Wellmont Theatre | |
| June 4 | Boston | Wilbur Theatre | |
| June 6 | Cincinnati | Taft Theatre | |
| June 7 | Detroit | MotorCity Casino | |
| June 8 | Cleveland | House of Blues | |
| June 9 | Hammond | Horseshoe Casino | |
| June 10 | Kansas City | Uptown Theatre | |
| June 13 | Nashville | Schermerhorn Symphony Center | |
| June 14 | Memphis | Minglewood Hall | |
| June 15 | Houston | House of Blues | |
| June 17 | Dallas | Majestic Theatre | |
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [10] |
In his review for AllMusic, editor Andy Kellman wrote that Ledisi "continues to roll with Let Love Rule, an album rich with her characteristically positive and proud outlook and superhuman vocal skill. It's something of a milestone for Ledisi and long-term collaborator Rex Rideout, who have been recording together since 2007. The four songs they co-wrote are top of the line, showing they've only gained steam since then." [4] Steve Horowitz of PopMatters praised the album for its themes "..about living for today, remembering tomorrow is a new start, that pain is essential to forgiveness, listening needed for understanding, and love is all that really matters." [10]
Let Love Rule received a nomination for Best R&B Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards in 2018. [2] The song "High" received a nomination for Best R&B Performance while "All the Way" received a nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance. [2] The album also won Soul Train Certified Award in 2018. [11]
In the United States, Let Love Rule debuted at number one-hundred on the Billboard 200, only remaining on that chart for one week. [7] The album also spent one week on the Top R&B Albums chart. [7]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Choose Today (Intro)" (featuring Iyanla Vanzant) | Ledisi Young | — | 0:07 |
| 2. | "Shot Down" |
| DJ Khalil | 3:13 |
| 3. | "Tomorrow Is a New Start (Interlude)" (featuring Soledad O'Brien) | Young | — | 0:05 |
| 4. | "Let Love Rule" |
| Butta-N-Bizkit | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Add to Me" |
| DJ Camper | 3:38 |
| 6. | "Hello to the Pain (Interlude)" (featuring Iyanla Vanzant) | — | 0:05 | |
| 7. | "Hello" |
|
| 2:44 |
| 8. | "Forgiveness" |
| Barias | 4:51 |
| 9. | "Here" |
| Gitelman | 4:02 |
| 10. | "Us 4Ever" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid) |
| Ledisi | 4:29 |
| 11. | "Give You More" (featuring John Legend) |
| Butta-N-Bizkit | 3:28 |
| 12. | "High" |
| Camper | 4:12 |
| 13. | "Understanding"/"I Love You (Interlude)" (featuring Soledad O'Brien) | Young | — | 0:17 |
| 14. | "All the Way" |
| Ledisi | 5:02 |
| 15. | "If You Don't Mind" | Kirk Franklin | Franklin | 4:04 |
^[A] denotes co-producer
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 [12] | 100 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [13] | 12 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | September 22, 2017 | Verve Records | [1] |
Kirk Dewayne Franklin is an American gospel singer, choir director, record producer and rapper. He is best known for leading urban contemporary gospel and Christian R&B ensembles such as The Family, God's Property, and One Nation Crew (1NC). His accolades include 20 Grammy Awards. Variety dubbed Franklin as a "Reigning King of Urban Gospel", and is one of the inaugural inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to fame as a vocalist for the R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed with his brother D'Wayne and cousin Timothy Christian Riley in 1986. Along with his groupwork and solo career, he has produced and written songs for other R&B artists, including Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Total, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, TLC, En Vogue, Kelis, Mary J. Blige, Ledisi, Whitney Houston, Solange Knowles and John Legend.
Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway is an American singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of musician and soul singer Donny Hathaway.
Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
Ledisi Anibade Young, better known simply as Ledisi, is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, author, and actress. Her name means "to bring forth" or "to come here" in Yoruba.
Lost & Found is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Ledisi. It was released on August 28, 2007, by Verve Records.
It's Christmas is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ledisi, and her first Christmas album. Released by Verve Forecast on September 23, 2008, the album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs in addition to original material. Ledisi worked with George Duke, Rex Rideout, and Luther "Mano" Hanes, with whom she wrote all of the original tracks, as well as producing Ledisi's interpretations of the covered material. "Give Love on Christmas Day" was released as a radio single from the album.
Turn Me Loose is the fifth studio album by American singer Ledisi. It was released by Verve Records on August 18, 2009 in the United States. It was recorded after Ledisi's experience with writer's block, which she was able to overcome after finding inspiration by listening on the Buddy Miles's album Them Changes (1970). In contrast to her previous work with jazz and soul influences, the album features a prominent funk sound.
Pieces of Me is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ledisi. It was released on June 14, 2011, by Verve Forecast Records.
The Truth is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Ledisi. It was released on March 11, 2014, by Verve Records.
Brittany Chikyra Barber is an American singer and songwriter from Compton, California. She released her debut mixtape, AfterHours and its follow-up, HelloSummer, both in 2016. As a songwriter, she has been credited on singles and albums for artists including Ghostface Killah, Queen Naija, Chris Brown, Chrisette Michele, John Legend, YG, Kash Doll, Tyla Yaweh, Eric Bellinger, and Ledisi, among others. She has co-written the songs "No Interruptions" by Chris Brown, "Let Love Rule" by Ledisi, and several for Bhad Bhabie.
Hiding Place is the second studio album by American singer Tori Kelly. It was released on September 14, 2018, through School Boy Records and Capitol Records. Musically, its music incorporates primarily R&B-gospel with jazz influences. Named after the Bible verse Psalm 32:7, the album centres around God being a place of safety.
Long Live Love is the twelfth studio album by American musician Kirk Franklin. RCA Inspiration, a division of RCA Records, alongside Fo Yo Soul Recordings released the album on May 31, 2019. It debuted at number-one on the US Top Gospel Albums chart, becoming his 13th release to top the chart, with 20,000 equivalent album units earned in its first week. With this, Franklin became the first artist to simultaneously top all five Billboard gospel charts: Top Gospel Albums, Hot Gospel Songs, Gospel Airplay, Gospel Streaming Songs and Gospel Digital Song Sales.
The Wild Card is the ninth studio album by American singer and songwriter Ledisi. It was released on August 28, 2020, by Listen Back Entertainment, and distributed by BMG Rights Management. Her first independent album since Feeling Orange but Sometimes Blue (2002) and the first project release on Listen Back Entertainment, Ledisi wrote and produced the album with Kal Banx, Ivan Barias, Phil Beaudreau, Jeff Gitelman, Robert Glasper, Cory Henry, Rex Rideout, SiR and various other collaborators. Sa-Roc and Cory Henry also appear as featured musicians.
Good Life is the eleventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Ledisi. It was released on March 15, 2024, by Listen Back Entertainment, and distributed by BMG Rights Management.
"Alright" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Ledisi for her third studio album Lost & Found (2007). It was written by Ledisi, and produced by Rex Rideout with guitar played by musician Jubu Smith. Ledisi decided that she wanted a deeper and more personal song as the third single; the song was sent by Verve Forecast to contemporary hit radio in the United States on July 3, 2007. "Alright" is a soul song about dealing with personal and financial issues as well as acceptance. The single reached the top twenty on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.
"Pieces of Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Ledisi for her sixth studio album, Pieces of Me (2011). The song was written by Ledisi, Chuck Harmony, Claude Kelly, with the latter two producing the song. The song's lyrics are about the meaning of being a woman.
"In the Morning" is a song by American singer and songwriter Ledisi for her third studio album, Lost & Found (2007). The song was written by Ledisi and Rex Rideout, with the latter producing the song. "In the Morning" was released the second single from Lost & Found on March 18, 2008, by Verve Forecast.
"Anything for You" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Ledisi, from her ninth studio album, The Wild Card (2020). Listen Back Entertainment released "Anything for You" on April 3, 2020, as the lead single. "Anything for You" is a slow-tempo R&B song about cherishing one's partner and doing anything for them.
"I Need to Know" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Ledisi, for her eleventh studio album Good Life (2024). It was released to music outlets on January 12, 2023, by her independent record label Listen Back Entertainment. The song was written by Ledisi and longtime collaborator and producer Rex Rideout, the latter of which produced the song.
| Studio albums | |
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| Live albums | |
| Soundtrack albums | |
| Singles | |
| Concert tours | |
| Concert residencies | |
