Little Lost Girls Blues
You might not recognize N'Dambi's name, but if you ownErykah Badu'sLivealbum, you've already heard her voice. Better known as Ms. Badu's favorite  backup vocalist, N'Dambi is destined to become one of the brightest  stars in today's burgeoning neo-soul movement. The Dallas-based  artist's debut creation,Little Lost Girl Blues, was  self-released under the auspices of N'Dambi's own Cheeky-I Productions. It's  a well-crafted gem that deserves a much larger audience than its  limited distribution has cultivated. The album opens with the  spoken-word mood composition "Picture This," and from there journeys  into explorations of scat-laced jazz ("The Meeting"), textured soul  ("Can This Be Love"), and lushly retro R&B; ("What's Wrong With You").  The album's signature piece is the achingly beautiful "Sunshine," which  pairs the artist's straightforward vocals with a spare acoustic guitar  line. N'Dambi's style is more substantial than Badu's, less mannered thanAmel Larrieux's, and infinitely more complex thanAngie Stone's.  All comparisons aside, N'Dambi's talent speaks for itself.--Rebecca Levine