Leela James | a Change is Gonna Come (Album Review)

"A leader at the forefront of a soul revolution" is what many critics have heralded 27-year-old soul/R&B songstress Leela James to be. And while she certainly wasn't the first to earn such a distinction, and assuredly won't be the last, with such a forthright album title as A Change Is Gonna Come, one can't help but wonder just what it is this pint-size sparkplug brings to the table.

Certainly the biggest weapon of choice she utilizes would have be to that voice of hers. Her natural speaking voice belies the rich, deep, husky, church-bred vocal that croons and thunders thru your speakers, evoking numerous memories past legends such as Millie Jackson with splashes of Aretha. But good looks and a powerful voice aren't enough to bring about the change that her album title proclaims and that lead single, Music yearns for.

After 10 years of grinding on the underground, Leela finally secured her major-label deal with Warner Bros. and issued Change earlier this summer. And considering the album was a solid 4 years in the making, Leela managed to gather a small-but-impressive bevy of producers to help orchestrate the sound of this supposed "musical revolution", including Raphael Saadiq, Wyclef Jean, James Poyser, Commissioner Gordon, and Kanye West. And with such a roster of heavy-hitters backing your project, it's intriguing why Leela chose Music to be the tune that represents this project.

Musically, it's the sparsest record on the album. With nothing but click-clack percussion taps and a rubberband bassline, its Leela's call-to-arms for music to revert back to a simpler time, when it was all about the music instead of the videos, b!tches, and hoes. And while name-dropping a few legends feigns cleverness, Leela's call-to-arms has basically been exclaimed by every purported "soul revolution leader" of the last 10 years. But installing it as the lead-off track was a smart move; on here, Leela yearns for a change and seems to want to be the one to bring it about. And her debut album is the perfect platform for her to show and prove that she wants to be about it more than she talks about it.

As the album kicks off with a few up-tempo tunes, Leela seems a bit desperate to prove how she can easily bridge the gap by blending throwback soul with modernized R&B. Good Times is your textbook, modern soul/R&B feel-good jam but is by no means a boring tune; the DJ scratches unnecessary but the sunny bassline, metrical handclaps, and incessant hookline a infectious treat. Ghetto is a hilarious-yet-infectious Wyclef-produced highlight romp that's everything "Girlfight" wished it could've been. The spry horns and reggae-tinged guitars are awash with plenty of attitude and make Leela sound primed for a duel between her and the ex interfering with her relationship. Be it Leela's feisty snarl, the dynamic production, or the laugh-out-loud lyricism, this is one for the repeat button.

Wish the same could be said for both of Raphael Saadiq's contributions. Now while he is questionably the best singer/songwriter/producer of the last 5 years, the two tunes he sticks Leela with fail to make a strong, lasting impression. Soul Food has some funky handclaps and Ray Ray's signature bassline but creates nothing more than hunger pains with the clich?d lyricism and barebones hook. Thankfully, Rain fares better, with Ray Ray's bassline gaining more prominence and Leela's lyricism having a more sturdy foundation and defined storyline as she pines for the love she gives to be reciprocated.

The two Kanye tunes also suffer from the same problem of no strong, lasting impressions being made. But one must keep in mind that these two tunes were produced before Kanye West became Kanye West (The Louis Vuitton Don). It's Alright had the potential to be a great soul tune but ends up sounding like a smooth, soulful mess. The misplaced soul sample contributes to the off-kilter melody and Leela's mumbling vocals don't help enhance the smoldering groove this song had the potential to possess more strongly. Didn't I is a major step-up in terms of production and vocals. The hammer-smack drum-loop combine with the telegraph-tap percussion taps and funhouse muted synth-woodwinds for a dark, powerful groove that accentuates all the positive features of Leela's aggravated vocals and incensed lyricism as she chastises a trifling flame for taking her for granted.

But, as with many soul legends and leaders, Leela's really lays it on thick when crooning a ballad, preferably mending her broken heart over a melancholy groove. And she has plenty of wounds to bandage up, starting with the somber When You Love Somebody. With the wounded bassline sounding straight jacked from Bilal's "Queen of Sanity", Leela ponders why she continues to accept painful treatment from someone she loves against her better judgment only to gain a firm resolve on the subsequent Mistreating Me to study and learn the art of self-love, all over a pure blues groove that'll send chills and shivers straight thru your speakers and down your spine.

Things quickly take an interesting turn when Leela decides to give a soulfully wounded reading of the No Doubt classic, Don't Speak. The fluid production remains firm to the original's arrangement, being easy on the airs and kinda fluttering by. Now Leela did readjust some of the vocal arrangements and clipped the original's breakdown to make room for her more soulful emoting and ad-libbing. But it's all for the benefit; Leela injecting more pain and emotion into this tune than Gwen Stefani ever could.

Then Leela hits us with another bluesy-as-hell awakening, this time resolving to let no one rob her of her peace, strength or Joy any longer. She then takes a brief moment out to thank God for all her blessings with the simple testimonial, Prayer, which sounds one bass lick and string quartet away from a stepping groove. And then she hits us with a cover of the tune that inspired a title; quite possibly the greatest soul song ever, A Change Is Gonna Come. While it's not the greatest cover by any means, the production being a bit too uniform and tepid, Leela's controlled vocal performance compensates enough to warrant its inclusion here.

Fortunately, Leela believed in saving the best for last and decides to summarize her revolution blueprint with the scorching blaze of Long Time Coming. From the triumphant horns to the church organs and the foot-stomping percussion, Leela does indeed sound like a true soul revolution leader leading her loyal soul zealots into the Promised Land of real artistry, real soul, real music! From her shouts of joy to her chain-gang-lite backup chants towards the end, it'll be hard to resist not getting out your seat and shouting with Leela as if the long-spoken of revolution has finally come.

Sadly, it hasn't come, and even though blazing tunes like that one make it sure nice to dream about, one quickly comes back to reality and realizes that the long-talked about revolution is still miles away from reality. And another sad reality is that as much as she believes it, and would like you to believe, Leela James really didn't bring about the change her album title suggested.

True, her album is a breath of fresh air but what album isn't when it's so intentionally different from the norm of mainstream music? Not trying to disservice Ms. James' album, it's a good album even if it does follow the modern textbook soul/R&B formula for many of its tracks. But the voice, talent, and potential are all there and once Leela decides to actually build on such a solid foundation more than she talks about it is when we'll have a real revolutionary on our hands.

Regardless, even if Leela James isn't (yet) to bring about this revolution, it's nice to know she was one of the ones who indeed kept the ball in motion.