Friday Showcase: N'Dambi

After a stint singing back-up for Erykah Badu, N'Dambi spent most of 2009 holed up inside a Santa Monica recording studio with R&B legend Leon Sylvers to record one of the best R&B albums to come down the pike in a decade or more.

From Billboard's review of "Pink Elephant":

N'Dambi possesses a rich, earthy voice that grabs the listener from the very first note. Coupled with lyrics that keenly observe life's frequent ironies, her vocals add a striking depth to each song.

From that set (released on the venerable Stax label), here was my pick for the best song of last year...

"L.I.E." by "N'Dambi