Leela James - Change Is Gonna Come
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Leela JamesBrand: JAMES,LEELA
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2005-06-21
Music Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Product features:
- JAMES LEELA A CHANGE IS GONNA COME
- Intro
- Music
- Good Time
- Ghetto
- Soul Food
- Rain
- When You Love Somebody
- Mistreating Me
- Don't Speak
- My Joy
- It's Alright
- Didn't I
- Prayer
- A Change Is Gonna Come
- Long Time Coming
Free Music Notes for Change Is Gonna Come
Free Music Review: The humble beginnings of a future legend...
Hit: 5 Stars
Like she laments on her first track, Leela James has noticed that the music of today is seriously lacking. It lacks soul, passion and originality. You have the same tired subjects regurgitated over beats that outshine the singers themselves. There is no drive (I know this is an exaggeration for there is some good music out there) left in music anymore, and that why when a fresh face like Leela James walks onto the scene you better take notice. She has class, edge and talent to back up her passion. This girl is going to pave the way for a new generation of singers who actually have a vision, who actually have a voice (literal and figurative) worth listening to.
She opens the album strong with the aforementioned `Music' and moves right along into the explosive `Good Times', a firecracker of a track that features Pete Rock. Leela is one of those artists who certainly possesses an old soul, but unlike singers like Joss Stone (another fantastic addition to today's music) she doesn't modernize her sound. She's comfortable toying with the Funk, Soul and Gospel vibes of times past and does so with masterful agility. This album, while fresh and original, sounds as if it could have been released in the glory days of Diana Ross. Sure, tracks like `Ghetto' have a serious hip-hop edge, but it still possesses a veneer that is all rhythm and `soul'. The track beautifully utilizes the infectious beat (those horns are amazing) not to mention guest vocals by Wyclef Jean. `Soul Food' is an even better example of soulful hip-hop. Leela ignites this track with her infectious vocals and smooth delivery. The song is so slinky, magnificently constructed to shoot straight for the heart.
`Rain' is a little dry for me. Leela sounds great but the overly repetitive beat is tiresome after a while. `Wen You Love Somebody' was the first track I heard off this album, and I was immediately hooked on her charm and style. The song is soft and fragile, Leela's beautiful vocals dominating in such a subtle and controlled manner. This same subtle domination can be heard on the following track, `Mistreating Me'. This track is elevated by delicate guitar work that adds some finesse to the finished product. Leela's voice sounds at the brink of collapse while she's uttering the word "better", and it's this simple touch that takes the meaning of this beautiful track to a new level.
One of the biggest highlights for me is Leela's cover of No Doubt's classic `Don't Speak'. Her take is inspired and magnificent to say the least. It's one of my favorite tracks on the album. I can't say for sure if it is `better' that the original, for Gwen and company truly delivered a masterpiece with `Don't Speak', but I can say that her interpretation takes the piece to a different plane and delivers beautifully all on its own.
`My Joy' smothers us with its smoky vibe and entrances the audience with its delivery. `It's Alright' states right off that this is a return to the classics, and from start to finish it makes good on that promise, delivering a silky vibe that shimmers and shines. `Didn't I' has more of a modern edge to it, somewhat like `Ghetto', but it manages to bring it all home for me. There is something about Leela's unique voice that makes all her music sound dated (this is a good thing). I don't care for it as strongly as some of the other tracks, `Ghetto' included, but it is a decent track that lives up under multiple listens.
Truth be told, the album closes with its strongest material. `Prayer' is a beautiful and inspirational song that not only possesses a vibe effortless and commanding but has a message that stands strong and universal. Leela delivers every word as if they had a personal attachment to her soul, and this of course makes for emotionally invested listening. The closing track says it all; an album like this has surely been a `Long Time Coming'. This track is infectious and funky and effortlessly captivating. It's in your face from beginning to end and we are truly thankful for that. As wonderful as these two tracks are though, there is nothing on this album that compares to Leela's masterful take on Sam Cooke's `A Change is Gonna Come'. This track defines what Leela is all about, and she does this song so much justice, so much justice. The beautiful elegance in her voice elevates the magic of this song, the message in her words and the serenity of the musical arrangement. This could have easily gone wrong and stained her image, but she nails it in every possible way and only further proves the need for artists like Leela.
In the end there is no doubt in my mind that `A Change is Gonna Come' is an essential album for any and everyone's music collection. It is virtually flawless, delivering a fresh voice that is surely going to take your ears by storm. Leela has what it takes to become a star, and with a debut this strong there is no doubt in my mind that she will become legend in her due time.
Change Is Gonna Come Poster
With a dynamic,utterly distinctive blend of breathtaking rhythm & blues, fiery funk and roof-raising gospel inflections, Leela James delivers original music with a vocal prowess that both honors and advances the cause of true soul music. On A Change Is Gonna Come, her stunning debut album produced by some of today's biggest names-from Kanye West and Wyclef Jean to Commissioner Gordon and Raphael Saadiq-Leela James reaches back to the best and brings it up to the date for today...and tomorrow.Pop Music CDs
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