Ledisi:  “Hey, let’s just do like a whole record” and then we just did song and after song.  I mean, crazy.

Smitty:  And you know what?  I mean, along with Rex, you’ve got Lil John Roberts, my boy Dwayne “Smitty” Smith, Nelson Braxton from the Braxton Brothers, and my throwdown boy, Darrell Crooks.  Is he bad or what?

Ledisi:  Oh, Darrell is a little gem.  He’s a hidden little gem.

Smitty:  Yes he is.

Ledisi:  He’s special.

Smitty:  Yeah, I love his vibe, he serious. He’s touring with Chaka Khan right now.

Ledisi:  Yeah.

Smitty:  And then my girl Karen Briggs.  Oh!

Ledisi:  Did she kill that or what?

Smitty:  Whoo!

Ledisi:  Listen to me, Smitty.  I was not having it.  I said “I gotta have Karen.  That’s it.” And I said “Rex, that would be my dream.”  After seeing her cut up on Yanni years ago, I was a fan from then, and I never got to meet her yet.  I talked to her on e-mail and haven’t talked to her on the phone yet, but I begged Rex.  I said “Rex, you’re gonna have to pull some strings and get her.”  He found her.  He said “Guess who’s in the studio right now?”  Called me out of the blue, “Karen Briggs is playing on Lost and Found.”  Child, if you heard the scream I had on that phone.

Smitty:  Ohh…

Ledisi:  I was like “Oh my Gosh and I’m not there.  How dare you!”  He was like “This is all I could get right now.  (Both laugh.)  She is pure genius.  Energy and everything.

Smitty:  Yes, and all of that speaks to the strength of this record.  I mean, that’s how strong this record is.  I mean, you mentioned at the beginning of our conversation the great people and how you know how to pick ‘em, but, I mean, look at this.  It’s an incredible lineup of just major brilliant musicians that know how to do their thing.

Ledisi:  Someone told me that the music is right where your vocals are and I’m happy about that.

Smitty:  Oh yes.

Ledisi:  And what I’m most happy about, I didn’t hand pick anybody.  They picked me.  It was all in friendships, it was all in love.  Every musician that played I’ve met and they all are like friends of mine. They’re people I just—a few of them I haven’t met, but it’s just everybody is as passionate about the music as I am, so that’s what made it great. Not to say my other records weren’t, but it was just a different energy of excitement, of finally you’re opening up to different things and different people, and I had been closed to one thing and thinking that one thing was the only thing that was good for me, and now I know that everything—the world is endless, full of endless possibilities, so having that open to—and Mano [Hanes], I’ve heard about Mano for years. 

We’d sat in a car together and talk for two and a half hours.  We got a gig and we’re sitting there yapping it up because we had never met, just heard about each other, and next thing you know, we’re in the studio.  Lorenzo Johnson, the producer, I met him at a cookout in D.C.  Next thing you know, we’re writing songs together, you know what I mean?  It’s like everything God places, that’s why the faith part of it, God will work it out for you if you have faith.  Whatever you believe in, if you have faith in yourself, everything comes in alignment when you are in alignment, and that’s what happens when you’re ready.

Smitty:  Things really lined up for this record because I tell ya, it is just a brilliant book of music, and I have to go to one song that in my heart I feel is so defining of this record and that’s Track 2, “Joy.”

Ledisi:  Ahh, now, see, I wanted that to be the single.

Smitty:  How ‘bout that?

Ledisi:  And everybody liked “Alright,” so majority rules, but wow.  Smitty, see, you can never leave me, okay?  You’re just saying that because.  You’re trying to be on my good side, that’s all.  I’m gonna tell J’ai, “Hey, Smitty’s suckin’ up!”  (Both laugh.)  Wow!

Smitty:  Yeah, I mean that.

Ledisi:  Why “Joy”?  So tell me why “Joy.”  Now I’m interviewing you.  (Laughs.)

Smitty:  Yeah, how ‘bout that, huh?  Well, to me “Joy” has that overall feel of the entire record because it’s you talking to your audience, it’s you communicating with the band, with the musicians.  It’s sort of a culmination of all the great sounds, your voice, and it just says “If you hear this song first, you’ll love the rest of the record.”

Ledisi:  Mm-hmm.  Wow.

Smitty:  It’s so all encompassing.  It really is.

Ledisi:  Wow, wow.

Smitty:  And I could hit repeat on any of these songs, but before the day is over, I’m going back to “Joy.”

Ledisi.  Wow. (Both laugh.)  That is so cool, you like “Joy.”  I’m like, I’m just “Somebody said it, finally!”  And that’s exactly how I feel.

Smitty:  Yeah, I’m feelin’ you, girl, I’m feelin’ ya.  (Both laugh.)

Ledisi:  It’s the embodiment of me telling the audience “Can I come in?  Come in.  Welcome, welcome,” right?

Smitty:  Yeah. It’s the open door to the record.

Ledisi:  Yeah!  You know who sequenced the record is Collin Stanback, who’s my manager.  He’s awesome, incredible.  I could not put those songs together.  He put the whole vibe together.

Smitty:  Yeah.

Ledisi:  But I always wanted “Joy” at the top of the record for sure and he pleased me.  Because “Joy” to me—let me tell you about “Joy” real quick.  I’m sorry.  I’m going on and on.

Smitty:  Yeah, yeah, please.

Ledisi:  But “Lost and Found”—that’s why I love this record because when I’m lost, everything came to me when I got it together.  “Joy” was on my computer, it was a song we rejected.  Eh, me and Rex were like “Eh, we ain’t gonna use that.”  And I was cleaning the house and that song came on and I was like “Dang, that is hot!”  I was like “What’s this?  Why did we dump this song?  Let me call Rex.  “Rex, put on ‘Joy.’”  He was like “What are you talking about?  I thought we dumped that song.”  I said “Look, play it and then call me back.”  He was like “Yo, Led, that’s hot.”  I was like “I know.”  And out of all the songs, it was just my iTunes library playing and it just popped up and I said “We gotta revisit this” and we went back in, and it’s such a simple song.  It was the hardest song for me to sing too, which is crazy, it’s the hardest song, because it’s so simple.

Smitty:  Yeah.

Ledisi:  Because I’m just going blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah, and it reminds me of Marvin Gaye so much.

Smitty:  Yeah!  Yeah, I hadn’t thought about it that way, but you’re right.

Ledisi:  Mm-hmm. And I love it.  It can be “Joy,” can I be the one to bring—can I bring you happiness?  Ohh…

Smitty:  Yes.

Ledisi:  See, Smitty, never leave, okay?  Never leave me.

Smitty:  I will be here, girl.  But I like “Alright” too.

Ledisi:  Yes.

Smitty:  But it’s just something about “Joy” that it just grabs you.  It stands out.

Ledisi:  And you wanna dance.

Smitty:  Yeah.

Ledisi:  Just ride or you wanna just chill out, you know?

Smitty:  Yeah.  It’s just a great song and there’s so many others on here, like even “Lost and Found,” I love that song.

Ledisi:  You like it?  Oh, wow.

Smitty:  And I love “We Are One.”  I think that’s a beautiful song. And I just love that cool intro.  That is so cool.

Ledisi:  (Laughs.)  My mom said “Because, honey, you’ve been here all the time.”  I was eating Thai food in a restaurant by myself complaining about some gig and she was like “Don’t they know?  You’ve been here all the time.  Don’t they know?”  I went “Mom, Mom, Mama, hold on!”  (Both laugh.)  I was like “That’s a song, that’s a song!”  I was like “Thank you, Mom, thank you.”

Smitty:  Yeah, see, those inspirations are always there.  We have to be ready for them.

Ledisi:  Oh my goodness.  I dropped my Thai in the midst of eating my rice.  I was like “Let me get outta here.”

Smitty:  (Laughs.)

Ledisi:  “There’s a song right here.  Amen, hallelujah.”  And everybody wanted it to be a full song and I was like “No, no, no, too much bragging going on.”  I didn’t mean it like that.  I just wanna say “Where ya’ll been?  I’ve been here.  Ya’ll done got lost and now you’re found.  Where you been?”

Smitty:  Yeah.  So tell me, what is the highlight for you about making this record?  What was just the most overwhelming element that just brings joy to you about making this record?