Leela James | My Soul (Coming May 25th, 2010)
LEELA JAMES DIGS THE ROOTS OF SOUL ON HER STAX DEBUT
My Soul set for release on May 25th, 2010
From the very first track on her 2005 debut album Leela James has captured the
gritty, emotion-drenched essence of artists like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder,
Mavis Staples, Marvin Gaye and has made it her mission to bring it all back –
pushing the music forward with a fresh, contemporary perspective that remains
faithful to the music‟s deep and powerful roots.
My Soul, set for release on May 25th, 2010, marks Leela James‟ debut on Stax
Records, a division of Concord Music Group. The move to Stax – the legendary home
of some of the greatest soul and R&B artists of the past half-century – is a fitting
destination for a vocalist who has committed herself to preserving the soul tradition.
“The title of the album pretty much says it all,” she explains. “I just wanted to go
into the studio and do what moved me at the time, and not think about it too much
or not allow it to be something that was too planned. That‟s what great soul music
has always been about from the very beginning – something very raw, very
authentic and very true.”
The first single off My Soul is “Tell Me You Love Me,” a track that James co-wrote
with Andrea Martin and Gordon Williams. The track was produced by rap and hip-hop
producer Gerrard Baker (Toni Braxton, Billy Crawford, Masta Ace), who deftly inserts
a sample of James riffing on a line from “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,” the classic
ballad made popular among soul audiences by the Manhattans in 1978.
“This is one of my favorite tracks on the record,” says James. “It‟s a song about
someone who‟s really trying to make love work, which is the same message you hear
in „Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye.‟ Great songs are great songs, no matter when
they‟re recorded, or by whom. And sometimes two great songs blend together well,
like they do here.”
Other noteworthy tracks on My Soul include the churning opener, “Ain‟t New To
This” (also produced by Baker), a proud and defiant declaration of survival in the
minefield known as the music business; and the bouncy “Party All Night,” penned by
James and produced by Carl “Chucky” Thompson, who previously worked with Leela
on 2005‟s Change Is Gonna Come. Other notable producers on that debut record
were Kanye West and Commissioner Gordon among others.
Thompson also handled the production of “Mr. Incredible, Ms. Unforgettable,” a
sultry duet between James and vocalist Raheem DeVaughn. “Raheem and I are good
friends, and we‟d been talking for some time about doing something together,” says
James. “We finally happened to be in the same place at the same time, and we just
made it happen. It really wasn‟t something that we planned. It was just something
spontaneous that took its own course.”
Aside from Baker and Thompson, James enlists the services of a number of other
producers on My Soul, including Kadis & Sean (“So Cold”), Carvin & Ivan (“It‟s
Over,” “If It‟s Wrong”), Steven “Supe” White (“The Fact Is”), Ray Murray (“I Want It
All”) and Butter (“Supa Luva”).
While James may have been surrounded by talent in the making of My Soul, the
record is ultimately her personal statement – not just about the music‟s rich past but
about its present and its future as well. Her arrival at Stax may position her among
legends, but she‟s well aware that she still has much to do and say.
“To be on the premier soul label is a validation of what I‟ve accomplished with my
music and what I stand for,” she says. “I‟ve always been a champion for this music.
This album is my version of soul. It‟s my experience of soul. It‟s what soul means to
me, and I want to share it with you.”
Concord Music Group
My Soul set for release on May 25th, 2010
From the very first track on her 2005 debut album Leela James has captured the
gritty, emotion-drenched essence of artists like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder,
Mavis Staples, Marvin Gaye and has made it her mission to bring it all back –
pushing the music forward with a fresh, contemporary perspective that remains
faithful to the music‟s deep and powerful roots.
My Soul, set for release on May 25th, 2010, marks Leela James‟ debut on Stax
Records, a division of Concord Music Group. The move to Stax – the legendary home
of some of the greatest soul and R&B artists of the past half-century – is a fitting
destination for a vocalist who has committed herself to preserving the soul tradition.
“The title of the album pretty much says it all,” she explains. “I just wanted to go
into the studio and do what moved me at the time, and not think about it too much
or not allow it to be something that was too planned. That‟s what great soul music
has always been about from the very beginning – something very raw, very
authentic and very true.”
The first single off My Soul is “Tell Me You Love Me,” a track that James co-wrote
with Andrea Martin and Gordon Williams. The track was produced by rap and hip-hop
producer Gerrard Baker (Toni Braxton, Billy Crawford, Masta Ace), who deftly inserts
a sample of James riffing on a line from “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye,” the classic
ballad made popular among soul audiences by the Manhattans in 1978.
“This is one of my favorite tracks on the record,” says James. “It‟s a song about
someone who‟s really trying to make love work, which is the same message you hear
in „Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye.‟ Great songs are great songs, no matter when
they‟re recorded, or by whom. And sometimes two great songs blend together well,
like they do here.”
Other noteworthy tracks on My Soul include the churning opener, “Ain‟t New To
This” (also produced by Baker), a proud and defiant declaration of survival in the
minefield known as the music business; and the bouncy “Party All Night,” penned by
James and produced by Carl “Chucky” Thompson, who previously worked with Leela
on 2005‟s Change Is Gonna Come. Other notable producers on that debut record
were Kanye West and Commissioner Gordon among others.
Thompson also handled the production of “Mr. Incredible, Ms. Unforgettable,” a
sultry duet between James and vocalist Raheem DeVaughn. “Raheem and I are good
friends, and we‟d been talking for some time about doing something together,” says
James. “We finally happened to be in the same place at the same time, and we just
made it happen. It really wasn‟t something that we planned. It was just something
spontaneous that took its own course.”
Aside from Baker and Thompson, James enlists the services of a number of other
producers on My Soul, including Kadis & Sean (“So Cold”), Carvin & Ivan (“It‟s
Over,” “If It‟s Wrong”), Steven “Supe” White (“The Fact Is”), Ray Murray (“I Want It
All”) and Butter (“Supa Luva”).
While James may have been surrounded by talent in the making of My Soul, the
record is ultimately her personal statement – not just about the music‟s rich past but
about its present and its future as well. Her arrival at Stax may position her among
legends, but she‟s well aware that she still has much to do and say.
“To be on the premier soul label is a validation of what I‟ve accomplished with my
music and what I stand for,” she says. “I‟ve always been a champion for this music.
This album is my version of soul. It‟s my experience of soul. It‟s what soul means to
me, and I want to share it with you.”
Concord Music Group
Such a talented Artist!!!! I wish her CD was coming out sooner!!!!
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