Ledisi

If there were a whiff of desperation about Lost and Found, it would be forgivable. After all, Ledisi's been knocking on fame's door for a long time and getting little response. But her Verve debut is as self-assured an effort as we've heard, her voice ringing out like Mary J. Blige at her jazziest or Chaka Khan at her most tender. This is sweet basement funk, in the pocket and as glowing as a Mark Rothko painting. Sure, lyrics about making love in the moonlight aren't going to win any awards for originality. But, um, that's not the point, is it?