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.