With respect to the previous threads concerning this amazing lady: http://prince.org/msg/8/272396 for instance.....

I was curious to see who was aware of her now or perhaps even admired her musicality/vocal prowess/writing/foxy stage presence/whole package deal.

I caught a rerun of her Letterman performance earlier this year and was immediately hooked. Saw her perform in February and fell deeply and madly in love with all that she has to offer, bought both her albums the next day, etc.....

Enough gushing from me.

http://www.esperanzaspalding.com

Love her.

Additionally, if you like Esperanza then you might also enjoy NIK WEST. These ladies are doin' the damn thing, seriously:

http://www.myspace.com/nikkywest

Ottensen said:

I do enjoy Nik. Debra Killings as well.

Ive "gushed" over her many times on here..lol,but she's amazing.I wish her continued success and support her any way I can.

I may be fortunate enough to see her play twice in one year, if I get tickets in time for Emory. She's worth every penny!

exenn said:

Indeed! She plays a stage here regularly in one of the arts theaters in my town when she tours Europe. When she's here in Germany she cris-crosses the country and is on every jazz, classical, and morning tv show for about 10 days straight for her Euro legs here. Wonderfully refreshing compared to the usual drivel we get from home imported via MTV...and her live shows are the bizness

I saw her a couple of times, amazing!

She is awesome. I saw her performance on Tavis Smiley and also online at the White House.

I loved her 2 albums, I'd like to see her live

Unbelievably good live. Ricardo Vogt, her current guitarist, can stay out of her way, hang with her and outshine her when needed at a moment's notice.

I bought Esperanza on iTunes so I could get "Sunlight", an amazing b-side that should have been on the actual album, but the studio cut doesn't even compare to the SMOKING HOT guitar/bass interplay they incorporate live, not to mention how great the percussion and piano work is on EVERY song they play in concert.