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Product Description
Album Description
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 honours 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.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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.
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.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
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'
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'
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I heard a radio interview with Leela James about 2 months ago & since hearing some of the album tracks on the show I searched various websites trying to order the album, just on the basis of hearing 2 tracks that's how confident I was that I was going to love the album.
The first place I managed to find the album was amazon so I ordered it straight away and have been waiting anxiously for it to arrive. When it did arrive I wasn't disappointed!
I honestly can say that there aren't any bad tracks on this album. It's one of those albums that you can listen to full blast when you are driving or when you are just chilling out.
If I had to choose which tracks are my favorites, then so far I would say - Music, Good Time, Ghetto, Soul Food, Rain & My Joy & there is also a good cover of No Doubts "Don't Speak".
Her voice has been discribed as "old school soul but new", I can't really say that I can compare her voice to any one else's as it is very different to anything else I've heard in quite a while.
I would definately say that this has to be the album of the year so far definately worth a listen!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Change is good...
Love the arrangements and the rich, soulful voice of Leela James.
Change is here, and it's very welcome.. I highly recommend this CD..
Change is here, and it's very welcome.. I highly recommend this CD..
Published on 16 May 2009 by Joy Full
no change
Sorry this album lost me and i could not see the concept.I thought it was a bit weak played album twice and can not see it resurfacing again no stand out cuts truly unforgettable.
Published on 2 May 2009 by wyse 1
Excellent - Best CD I've bought in years
I bought this CD based on previous reviews from this site, never having heard about the artist. Either I missed Leela James altogether in 2005 when she released this album or she... Read more
Published on 5 April 2007 by Mark Willy
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. Read more
Published on 13 Oct 2006 by Andy Edwards
Deep and Rich
young woman has a deep voice that can raise the dead. So rich, and satisfying.
Published on 23 July 2006 by CM
Absoleutely brilliant !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I only bought this album today along with three others after seeing the reviews and I haven't listened to the others yet as i've been playing this over & over again. Read more
Published on 21 April 2006 by charlie
too smooth, too bland
I bought this album because of the reviews here, but it is a crime to say she is worthy of mentioning in the same breath as Marvin, Aretha, Otis etc. Read more
Published on 9 Jan 2006 by P. Gates
Belated Plaudits
It says a lot about the bloated number of releases that such a sublime album as "A Change Is Gonna Come" can come and go with so little fanfare. Read more
Published on 4 Jan 2006 by R. A. Mansfield
Finally a saviour for soul
Young singers today have lost there soul in the music industry, its all about the video. But there are a few gems that shine through. Read more
Published on 28 Jun 2005 by M. Morgan
Daimond In The Rough
A sensational artist and the cream of producers makes this an album worth owning. It will stand the test of the time... Read more
Published on 26 Jun 2005
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