After collecting five Grammy Awards, Lalah Hathaway ranks as an elite force on the modern rhythm-and-blues scene.
She performs at 8 p.m. Sept. 8 in The Venue at Hammond’s Horseshoe Casino.
It is billed as “An Evening of Smooth Music” that also features Will Downing.
Hathaway feels her 2017 album “honestly” stretched her as an artist.
“I was really happy with it,” Hathaway said in a recent phone interview. “It was a bit of a pivot for me in terms of instrumentation and production and that kind of thing. But I’ve been exploring music all of my life, and for me, it’s so fun to try and do different things.”
Hathaway is the daughter of the late soul legend Donny Hathaway, known for the Grammy-winning “Where Is The Love” (1972) and the Top 10 pop-chart hit “The Closer I Get to You” (1978).
Both songs were duets with Roberta Flack.
Donny Hathaway also co-wrote and sang the buoyant holiday tune “This Christmas.”
Lalah Hathaway said she has a standard reply when asked to assess the level of influence her father’s music has had on her.
“My answer is always a hundred percent,” the songstress said. “I actually really believe in my heart that I come from the greatest singer who ever lived.”
Hathaway is comfortable forging her own career path.
“I’ve never had to worry about being in his shadow or trying to be him or sound like him,” the Los Angeles resident said. “I just am who I am.”
Hathaway snared 2016 Grammy Awards in the Best R&B Album category for “Lalah Hathaway Live” and for “Angel” as Best Traditional R&B Performance.
“Angel” was a remake of Anita Baker’s 1983 single.
She also won Grammys for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Little Ghetto Boy” (2015) and “Jesus Children” (2014).
The jazz-laced “Something” scored a 2013 Grammy in the Best R&B Performance category.
Additionally, Hathaway received a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Gospel Performance for “He’s Been Just That Good.”
Another nomination was logged with 2009’s “That Was Then,” which was recognized in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category.
Released in 2015, “Lalah Hathaway Live” was recorded at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.
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It is the same venue where her father recorded half of his 1972 live-performance album.
“Lalah Hathaway Live” was a watershed moment for the performer born Eulaulah Dony’ll Hathaway.
“The record is not perfect,” Hathaway states in promotional material. “I didn’t fix every little thing and that was liberating. I submitted myself to the truth of the moment.”
She also states recording the album was revelatory: “That night changed me.”
Hathaway said she grew up during an era of prominent live albums that were put out by everyone from Peter Frampton to Earth, Wind & Fire.
“There were so many records in the ’70s and ’80s that were recorded that way,” the songwriter and pianist said.
Her own 2015 live-performance album includes “Little Ghetto Boy,” one of her dad’s songs that was on his ’72 album, recorded in front of an audience.
The Troubadour recording broke up a string of studio albums that began with Hathaway’s self-titled 1990 debut.
“The live album means everything to me,” she said. “It’s the record that I wanted to make since I was a kid. I used to listen to my dad’s live album and wonder what was happening in the room, what did the room look like, what were the people wearing.”
Aided by the impact of her dad, Hathaway looks to the future, with a focus on honing her songwriting skills.
“It’s something that I aspire to be really, really great at,” she said.
Even more goals and avenues of exploration loom ahead.
“I’m interested in comedy and acting,” Hathaway said.
In addition, the singer cites the many new places where she yearns to present her live music.
“There are a lot of artists I’d like to work with,” Hathaway likewise noted.
In Hammond on Sept. 8, Hathaway’s appearance will be complemented by a seasoned R&B vocalist who scored with “A Million Ways,” which stands as a silky valentine to women.
Will Downing, known as the “Prince of Sophisticated Soul,” will share the bill with Hathaway in front of a packed house.
In 2017, Downing released “Soul Survivor.”
He has described it as “a straight-up, classic R&B album.”
But having recorded with Maysa and saxophonist Najee, the baritone also is known for infusing his musical catalog with some jazz-powered agility.
Lalah Hathaway and Will Downing
When: 8 p.m. Sept. 8
Where: Horseshoe Casino, 777 Casino Center Drive, Hammond
Tickets: $50-$75; 21 and older only
Information: 219-473-7000, www.horseshoehammond.com