New Orleans-born Ledisi’s Turn Me Loose has a similar essence as Mary J. Blige’s No More Drama. The difference lies in their approaches as each expresses growth in their music. No More Drama succeeds in celebrating brighter days for Blige, yet she can’t do the main thing that makes growth possible—let go. It is as if Blige is trying to move forward, but she doesn’t get too far because she keeps looking back.

Ledisi doesn’t dare look back with the track “Everything Changes;” and it sets the tone for the album. “Turn Me Loose” is about looking forward and accepting change, all the things one must do in order to achieve positive growth. However, there is another side to self-growth that Ledisi does not shy away from telling. On “Alone” she recognizes that when letting go or accepting change, there is a possibility of ending up alone, and she accepts it. In the beginning, Ledisi asks, “Are you ready to get lifted?” By end of the album, we are.