Leslea

the first time i met leslea
she was muscling her way into the queen rehearsal
2004
she insisted that she be a part of the album
she sang
and it was immediate
she's that good

we've had her on every album
she's worked so hard over the years
sang her heart out to thousands and thousands of people
and always a great performance
perfection
a true voice with captivating range

lots of girls say they can sing janis
janis sang every song like it was her last
leslea sang the show like that
she just kept going
like a train
note after note
tough hard edged screams
and then a little girl
alone in the spotlight

watch her on stage
her every movement
she's aware
she's aware that we're watching her
her hair afire
her hands graceful
born for the stage
seeing both beauty and bats in the lights

and she's smart
google smart
she's like a search engine
citing musicians in one breath
and historical events in the next

and she's beautiful
round and curvy
with innate stage attractiveness

and she's argumentative
like a diva
fighting for what she wants from a song
she's not afraid of the bumpy road
you arrive at respecting that

and she's the best
olympic gold medal best
one of the greats
twisting her voice around a song
with perfect clarity and delivery
i can't believe that she was never scooped up
and turned into a superstar

but that's not what it's about
the superstar thing
that's door number 3
rice a roni
one hundred eskimo bars
the real deal was about being the best you could be
and inspiring people around you
leslea does that
and it's an honour to work with her

craig
aug 9, 2012
bourbon (at the centre of contradiction)