LEELA
JAMES
A Change Is Gonna
Come is the declarative title of Leela James' debut
album. Its southern blues-tinged soundscape is what
James phrases "back porch" soul. Music
that weaves honesty and integrity into a seemingly
soured R&B Soul genre, A Change Gonna Is Gonna
Come urges us all to reflect upon the essence of
SOUL, lest we forget the genuine nature of soul
music.
Fearlessly challenging
watered-down versions, "Music" the first
single, asks "Where did all the music go/ It's
all about the videos..." James explains, "Music
twenty- three years ago had more substance. It has
a lot to do with the radio and video market. To
sell a song back then, the song had to be good."
Ironicaly, reports of radio station programmers
allegedly accepting bribes and gifts to place artists
in heavy rotation is a sign of the "pay to
play" times.
Further listening
of her album will make you ask yourself, 'What ever
happened to stellar vocalists that sold out venues
and received airplay based on their talent?' While
other artists have asserted the same opinions as
James, their voices are drowned out by the clamor
of Hip-Hop and R&B bling blingers whose pockets
are deep enough to buy their radio and video programming
spots. It's therefore safe to assume that A Change
Gonna Is Come may not receive the radio airplay
and video play as a Mary J. Blige or Keisha Coles
would. On the other hand, it will garner Leela James
a devout fan base and the respect that she deserves.
Marrying the sounds
of yesterday with healing messages that apply to
today's musical climate, James delivers something
old - Sam Cooke's prophetic soul classic, "A
Change Gonna Is Come." Something contemporary
would be the rebellious track "Ghetto"
where Leela's fiery vocals meet Wyclef Jean's Hip-Hop
pandemonium. No Doubts' "Don't Speak"
is a remake at its best demonstrating the only way
to convincingly convert a cover song into a refreshing
original. Meanwhile, "When You Love Somebody"
brandishes her royal badness. The track finds Leela
sangin' her ass off and beckoning listeners on an
emotional tidal wave.
A Change Gonna Is
Come inducts Leela James into a class of stellar
vocalist amongst living legends (Patti, Tina, Aretha,
Stephanie, Gladys, Mavis, Billie, Betty).
Beyond the music,
James' trademark un-tamable mane draws constant
comparisons to Tina Turner, adding an element of
surprise for fans who expect her to have a deep
raspy voice or a Big Mama Soul look. James says,
"It's terrible…people tell me all the time
I sound like a big fat woman." She describes
herself best as "an old soul" whose most
content making her own strides, but still remains
humbled by comparisons to legendary artists. With
reverence Leela tells, "It's a gift from God.
I've never had a music lesson. When I open my mouth
it just comes out."
Determined to create
more than just good music, James tells, "I
want to bring back good lyrics and real singing
that touches people in their hearts and melodies
that stick to their ribs and nourishes the soul."
An A-list of male producers - Raphael Saadiq, Kanye
West, Wyclef Jean, Chucky Thompson and executive
producer Chucky Gordon - tailored tracks that befit
Leela James' "back porch" style.
For Leela, growing
up an only child raised by both parents cultivated
a free spirit and a strong sense of self at an early
age. As a mature child, James recalls preferring
to play alone rather than following the rules of
others. A stint in her high school choir led to
Leela's high school teacher recognizing her gift.
"This teacher had a studio and was kind of
a producer on the side," she recalls, "One
day after disrupting his class, he was like, 'OK,
since you want to disrupt this class, I'm gonna
put you in the studio and we'll see how bad you
are.' James remembers, "The first time I heard
the way music was put together I was hooked."
Spiritually centered
and confident, James endured four years of tumultuous
ground as a newly signed artist on Ruff House Nation/Warner
Bros. Surviving the trek and resurfacing as the
only former Ruff Nation artist, A Change Is Gonna
Come simultaneously serves as her debut's title
and a moniker befitting Leela's personal journey,
she explains, "I battled for two years wanting
to and create music that I would be comfortable
and proud of. This is music homegrown, not contrived.
It came from my heart and soul. You've got fried
chicken and baked chicken. This is fried chicken."
A mature vocalist
who pours her heart and soul into every lyric, Leela's
advice for others is forthright, "Keep God
first and never let others define who you are, or
they will easily define who they want you to be."
Leela James is the
missing soul-link we've all been waiting for - a
vocalist who can sang like Aretha, will easily kick
off her shoes like Patti or even shed a tear and
ruin her make up like the late Phylis Hyman. "When
I perform I zone out. It's energetic, driven emotional,
a spiritual ride," says James.
Slapping the wrists
of listeners and radio programmers, James warns,
"I can't even turn on my radio, without someone
hollerin 'bout a b*tch or a h*e. Where did the music
go? We don't sang no more. All the soul is gone."
Like a ray of sunlight
that surfaces after a thunderstorm, Leela James
resonates raw vintage soul that reclaims a genre
which nearly got pimped, pirated, and poisoned.
Leela keeps it real and makes it plain, "You're
a singer with soul, or you're just a singer. You
can't fake or buy soul."
