Track Listing

1. Intro
2. Music
3. Good Time
4. Ghetto
5. Soul Food
6. Rain
7. When You Love Somebody
8. Mistreating Me
9. Don't Speak
10. My Joy
11. It's Alright
12. Didn't I
13. Prayer
14. Change Is Gonna Come
15. Long Time Coming

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11546 in Music
• Released on: 2005-06-20
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

CD Description
Within the opening minutes of Leela James's debut, A CHANGEIS GONNA COME, the full-voiced performer name-checks both Chaka Khan and Marvin Gaye. Evoking these revered soul artists is quite appropriate, since James deftly incorporates elements of these singers' styles into her own bold, funk-inflected R&B music. (Another soul hero, Sam Cooke, is acknowledged on the title track, a cover of his classic hit.)
Instead of being carried by samples and slick production, James's 2005 debut is rooted in a full guitar/bass/drums sound that nods to the 1970s, without giving up its more modern edge. In fact, artist-of-the-moment Kanye West handles production duties here, along with Wyclef Jean, Raphael Saadiq, and others, giving James's record the added jolts of energy needed to make it a formidable outing. From the urgent "Music" to the bass-heavy "Rain" and the sultry "Mistreating Me", this iscontemporary R&B for people who think they don't like contemporary R&B.

Customer Reviews

Interesting album...
It would be easy to compare Leela James to her veteran company Erykah Badu and Angie Stone, maybe even Macy Gray on "A Change Is Gonna Come" - named after the (here covered) Sam Cooke track. Her voice has a lot of growl in it and she's clearly been learning from her inspirations, Gladys, Tina, Chaka, and Aretha and wishes that music needs to be more about the music and less about the video which is a slightly montonous theme that had been flogged a lot - but not without its merit. Leela is a talented young woman who is supported by some good production that compliment her old-meets-new style. In fact I'm sad to see that she hasn't had more radio play but only seems to find favour on Trevor Nelson's Radio One Soul Nation - thank god atleast there! I would imagine this album is very moving live.
I would only suggest that the album may have benefited from some more brevity as there are some stand out tracks like "Music" "Soul Food" the cover "Don't Speak" "when you Love Somebody" and "Prayer". The rest of the tracks arent filler as such but the album appears to be beefed out with sufficient amounts of interludes which I think could have been otherwise just attached to the end of some of the tracks, much like the Black Eyed Peas did with Monkey Business and Kanye West did with Late Registration, who also features as a producer on "It's Alright" and "Didn't I"
I would prefer to give this an album a 3.5 ONLY because I think that this is not going to be the last time we hear from Leela James and I think her sophmore album will be a much better effort because the talent is there and she will refine her sound to stand out more from similar artists. Also brevity is best and maybe selecting 12 tight tracks would do her some justice. She is credited with penning 13 of the tracks on this album. The album has a spiritual and very honest feel about it and conjours up images of sitting on a weighing bench on an old porch somewhere drinking lemonade - very Twain. I would strongly recommend this album for people who like Saadiq production, artists like Anthony Hamilton, Angie Stone, and Jill Scott. Leela is not Erykah but few are.

Modern R'n'B
OK so you prefer old school Soul - as I do - and nobody can compare to Aretha, but lets face it, who can. So view this album as a modern take on things and you can appreciate that here you have a remarkable voice.

Leela James tries to reflect some of the spirit of Soul, by avoiding samples and the more obvious production tricks - and she never falls into the trap of trying too hard to impress. Her voice is assured and can cope with a classic (the title track), without adverse comparisons to those who have gone before.

This is a quality modern R'n'B album, with it's roots in the traditions of Black music, but reflecting today's musical trends without slavishly following them. Leela is a genuine talent - it will be fun to see how she develops the themes seen here. Let's hope she doesn't go in an overtly commercial direction.

Smooth, seductively smooth
You don't have a choice but to fall in love with the album. Each track seduces you into a groove way beyond what you hear commercially.
Leela has kept to what she knows how to do 'Sing' and boy can she sing. Her style is refreshing, yet classical soul.
So, if you're looking for an album with groove, soul, and voice that you just cant figure out. Check out Leela James 'A change Is Gonna Come'