Leela James
Encyclopedia
Leela James is an American R&B
and soul
singer-songwriter
. James cites singers James Brown
, Roberta Flack
, Marvin Gaye
, Donny Hathaway
, Gladys Knight
, Mavis Staples
, and Stevie Wonder
as her influences. Her deep, rich, gritty vocals have drawn comparisons to Aretha Franklin
, Chaka Khan
, and Tina Turner
.
, was released on June 21, 2005. The album was conceived as a throwback to an earlier era of American soul music, building upon the legacy of 1960s and 1970s soul singers while incorporating elements of contemporary R&B
, funk
, and gospel
.
In the lyrics to the album's lead single, entitled "Music", James laments the current state of contemporary popular music
. She condemns the glorification of materialism
and misogyny
that has often been attributed to the lyrical content of contemporary R&B and hip hop
songs while pleading for the return of the artistry, dedication, and sincerity displayed by musicians of earlier decades.
James co-wrote most of the tracks on her debut album, two exceptions being her covers
of the pop rock
band No Doubt
's 1996 hit "Don't Speak
" and the classic title song
by Sam Cooke
, for which the album is named. Notable collaborators on the album include Raphael Saadiq
of the 1990s R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!
, Kanye West
, and former Fugees member Wyclef Jean
.
In 2004, James toured as an opening act for The Black Eyed Peas
and Macy Gray
. That same year, she was featured on hip hop producer, DJ, and emcee Pete Rock
's album Soul Survivor II
, providing vocals to the track "No Tears". In 2005, she lent her voice to the posthumously released Ray Charles
album Genius & Friends
, duetting with the singer on the song "Compared to What". Leela also guested on Robert Randolph and the Family Band's 2006 album Colorblind
, lending her vocals to "Stronger".
After parting ways with Warner Bros.
, James signed with the independent label Shanachie Records
and released her second studio album on March 24, 2009, an all-cover
set entitled Let's Do It Again
(the title being a homage to the 1975 soundtrack album of the same name by The Staple Singers
).
In June 2009, she appeared on Moby's new album "Wait for Me", performing the vocal on "Walk with Me".
James' third album My Soul
- her debut release for the Stax
label - was released on May 24, 2010, and debuted on the US Hip Hop/R&B chart at Number Seven. Speaking exclusively in May 2010 to noted UK soul writer Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul
- she stated: "With this album I wanted to make sure that I showed all sides of me - in terms of variety in the music and in my vocal range - while at the same time making it clear that every song deeply came from my soul. Plus I also wanted to incorporate a little more hip hop this time, and infuse it with my traditional R&B - because I felt that. By making my beats edgier and harder-hitting, I'd show there was more to me than just doing ballads and things of that sort."
In Summer 2010, she appeared on BET's television series "My Black is Beautiful" as a co-host alongside of Tasha Smith, Kim Coles and Alesha Renee. Leela James is currently under management with Keith Douglas of RKD Music Management.
1 Position refers to the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. James cites singers James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
, Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
, Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight
Gladys Maria Knight , known as the "Empress of Soul", is an American singer-songwriter, actress, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author...
, Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples
Mavis Staples is an American rhythm and blues and gospel singer, actress and civil rights activist who recorded with The Staple Singers, her family's band.-Biography:...
, and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
as her influences. Her deep, rich, gritty vocals have drawn comparisons to Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, and Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
.
Biography
James' debut album, entitled A Change Is Gonna ComeA Change Is Gonna Come (album)
A Change Is Gonna Come is the debut album by American soul singer–songwriter Leela James, released in the United States on June 21, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album debuted at number one hundred and eighty on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling over 15,000 copies in its first week...
, was released on June 21, 2005. The album was conceived as a throwback to an earlier era of American soul music, building upon the legacy of 1960s and 1970s soul singers while incorporating elements of contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, and gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
.
In the lyrics to the album's lead single, entitled "Music", James laments the current state of contemporary popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
. She condemns the glorification of materialism
Materialism
In philosophy, the theory of materialism holds that the only thing that exists is matter; that all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. In other words, matter is the only substance...
and misogyny
Misogyny
Misogyny is the hatred or dislike of women or girls. Philogyny, meaning fondness, love or admiration towards women, is the antonym of misogyny. The term misandry is the term for men that is parallel to misogyny...
that has often been attributed to the lyrical content of contemporary R&B and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
songs while pleading for the return of the artistry, dedication, and sincerity displayed by musicians of earlier decades.
James co-wrote most of the tracks on her debut album, two exceptions being her covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
's 1996 hit "Don't Speak
Don't Speak
"Don't Speak" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. It was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom...
" and the classic title song
A Change Is Gonna Come (song)
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is a 1964 single by R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke, written and first recorded in 1963 and released under the RCA Victor label shortly after his death in late 1964. Though only a modest hit for Cooke in comparison with his previous singles, the song came to exemplify the...
by Sam Cooke
Sam Cooke
Samuel Cook, , better known under the stage name Sam Cooke, was an American gospel, R&B, soul, and pop singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is considered to be one of the pioneers and founders of soul music. He is commonly known as the King of Soul for his distinctive vocal abilities and...
, for which the album is named. Notable collaborators on the album include Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq
Raphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
of the 1990s R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American Soul/R&B group from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq on lead vocals and bass, and their cousin Timothy...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, and former Fugees member Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
.
In 2004, James toured as an opening act for The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
and Macy Gray
Macy Gray
Macy Gray is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress, famed for her distinctive raspy voice, and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.Gray has released five studio albums, with her fifth studio album, The Sellout,...
. That same year, she was featured on hip hop producer, DJ, and emcee Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...
's album Soul Survivor II
Soul Survivor II
Soul Survivor II is a 2004 album from hip hop producer Pete Rock. The album features guest appearances from a large number of hip hop artists, including Pharoahe Monch, Little Brother, Skillz, RZA, GZA, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Slum Village, Jay Dee and former partner CL Smooth.Pete, who dropped...
, providing vocals to the track "No Tears". In 2005, she lent her voice to the posthumously released Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
album Genius & Friends
Genius & Friends
Genius & Friends is a 2005 studio album by rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, consisting of previously unreleased duets between Charles and musicians recorded during 1997 to 2005...
, duetting with the singer on the song "Compared to What". Leela also guested on Robert Randolph and the Family Band's 2006 album Colorblind
Colorblind (Robert Randolph album)
Colorblind is an album by Robert Randolph & the Family Band. It is the group's second studio album.-Track listing:# "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That" - 3:30# "Deliver Me" – 4:30# "Diane" – 3:28# "Angels" – 4:02# "Jesus Is Just Alright" – 5:26...
, lending her vocals to "Stronger".
After parting ways with Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, James signed with the independent label Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records
Shanachie Records was founded in 1976 by Richard Nevins and Dan Collins. According to Harvey Pekar , it is one of the largest independent record labels in the world, and is currently distributed by E1 Music. Starting as a label that specialized in fiddle music, they began releasing work by Celtic...
and released her second studio album on March 24, 2009, an all-cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
set entitled Let's Do It Again
Let's Do It Again (Leela James album)
Let's Do It Again is the second studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Leela James, released in the United States on March 24, 2009 by Shanachie Records...
(the title being a homage to the 1975 soundtrack album of the same name by The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
).
In June 2009, she appeared on Moby's new album "Wait for Me", performing the vocal on "Walk with Me".
James' third album My Soul
My Soul (Leela James album)
My Soul is the third studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Leela James, released in the United States on May 25, 2010 by Stax Records. The album debuted and peaked at #7 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #37 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart...
- her debut release for the Stax
Stax
Stax can refer to:* StAX, Streaming API for XML. An API for reading and writing XML in Java.* Stax Earspeakers, a Japanese brand of electrostatic earspeakers* Stax Records, an American record company...
label - was released on May 24, 2010, and debuted on the US Hip Hop/R&B chart at Number Seven. Speaking exclusively in May 2010 to noted UK soul writer Pete Lewis - Deputy Editor of the award-winning Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine covering black music. Genres covered include soul, R&B, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. It was first published in 1966 and is known for first using the term Northern Soul....
- she stated: "With this album I wanted to make sure that I showed all sides of me - in terms of variety in the music and in my vocal range - while at the same time making it clear that every song deeply came from my soul. Plus I also wanted to incorporate a little more hip hop this time, and infuse it with my traditional R&B - because I felt that. By making my beats edgier and harder-hitting, I'd show there was more to me than just doing ballads and things of that sort."
In Summer 2010, she appeared on BET's television series "My Black is Beautiful" as a co-host alongside of Tasha Smith, Kim Coles and Alesha Renee. Leela James is currently under management with Keith Douglas of RKD Music Management.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
NL MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
BEL Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
||
| 2005 | A Change Is Gonna Come A Change Is Gonna Come (album) A Change Is Gonna Come is the debut album by American soul singer–songwriter Leela James, released in the United States on June 21, 2005 by Warner Bros. Records. The album debuted at number one hundred and eighty on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling over 15,000 copies in its first week... |
148 | 42 | 97 | 26 | 43 | 52 |
| 2009 | Let's Do It Again Let's Do It Again (Leela James album) Let's Do It Again is the second studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Leela James, released in the United States on March 24, 2009 by Shanachie Records... |
84 | 11 | — | — | — | — |
| 2010 | My Soul My Soul (Leela James album) My Soul is the third studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Leela James, released in the United States on May 25, 2010 by Stax Records. The album debuted and peaked at #7 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #37 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart... |
37 | 7 | — | — | — | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. adult R&B | U.S. dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
|||
| 2005 | "Music" | 121 | 33 | A Change Is Gonna Come | |
| "Don't Speak Don't Speak "Don't Speak" is a song by the American rock band No Doubt. It was released in 1996 as the third single from the band's third studio album, Tragic Kingdom... " |
— | — | — | ||
| 2006 | "Good Time" | 54 1 | — | 33 | |
| "My Joy" | 109 | 27 | — | ||
| 2007 | "When You Love Somebody" | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | "It's a Man's Man's Man's World It's a Man's Man's Man's World "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" is a song by James Brown and Betty Jean Newsome. Brown recorded it on February 16, 1966 in a New York studio and released it as a single later that year. It reached #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Singles charts and #8 in the Billboard Hot 100... " |
— | — | — | Let's Do It Again |
| 2010 | "Tell Me You Love Me" | 94 | — | — | My Soul |
1 Position refers to the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart is the sales component chart of Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. It is not the R&B subset of The Hot 100 Singles Sales, but rather a separate panel of sales of commercial singles in the urban market...
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist The Soul Train Music Award for Best New Artist has been given out every year since the first annual Soul Train Music Awards in 1987.-External links:**... |
"Music" | |
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding New Artist NAACP Image Award for Outstanding New Artist The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding New Artist:... |
Leela James |