“Pieces of Me"

Soul singer Ledisi makes a basic declaration near the end of “Pieces of Me,” the title track of her new album: “I’m a woman.” She sings the affirmation a few times, for good measure: “I’m a woman” — neither shouted nor whispered, with a few notes of piano and a slight echo for minimal effect.

It’s a straightforward statement of self-realization in a song and album that are about coming to grips with the multiplicity of female identity. That simplicity renders power: Where a less disciplined artist might have gone for a full-throated, orchestral gospel exclamation, the New Orleans-born, Oakland-bred singer with the Nigerian first name makes a statement, period.

(Excerpts from a review by Evelyn McDonnell in the L A Times)