It’s not that she has a problem with your choice of undergarments. What’s really bugging this outspoken, raspy-voiced singer is that despite the abundance of solid soul music being recorded, many artists achieve success only after they show some skin or feature gyrating, half-naked women in their videos.
“I'm not saying you shouldn't wear a thong,” she said. “I'm just saying in everything we do I think if we added some sense of integrity to it, it would offer more of a sense of substance. There’s nothing wrong with dancing and shaking - we come from culture of people who dance - but in every video you don't got to be butt-booty-naked either.”
Armed with a powerful set of pipes, an insatiable drive for success and a sage outlook on her future, James hopes to make listeners take notice of her thorough good old-fashioned talent and hard work. You might call her naïve, but you could also admire her for her dedication.
“I had to deal with the politics and bureaucracy with the industry in terms of not wanting to conform to what is considered typical format R&B soul music. I wanted to stand up and offer a change. If you don’t stand for something,” she said, citing one of her main philosophies, “you fall for anything.”
James has had plenty of time to learn how important her credo is, having been signed to RuffNation, a label that folded, then being switched to that label’s distributor, Warner Brothers. When she managed to survive the shuffle, James got to work on her debut album, A Change is Gonna Come, named after the 1964 Sam Cooke hit. Attached to James’ music, the song, which Cooke composed during the Civil Rights movement, takes on a new message of empowerment.
“It represents and personifies my journey and struggle prior to getting a record deal, and even once having a deal,” she said. “It’s about the journey and the struggle of knowing and believing and standing firm that a change is gonna come when things look to be at their darkest.”
A Change is Gonna Come is peppered with rebellious messages of empowerment, melancholic ballads, and tales of love gained and lost. “My Joy” opens with a dedication from James - “this song is to that person - I won’t mention his name - who said I couldn’t do nothing without him. Hmm” – and finds the singer in a defiant mood, refusing to be hurt by another relationship gone wrong. On the slowed-down ballad, “Mistreating Me,” which features aching guitar solos, James makes the decision to love herself and not allow anyone to abuse her.
James is joined throughout the album by a bevy of heavy-hitters she hand-picked herself. Raphael Saadiq joins James on “Soulfood” and “Rain,” a track filled out with beats that tumble and drip over her vocals like drops in a sun shower. Kanye West pops up on “Didn’t I” and “It’s Alright.” Wyclef Jean, James Poyser and Vikter Duplaix lend their support as well, while the album is executive produced by Commissioner Gordon (Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation).
In fact, it was Gordon who gave James the best piece of advice she got in the studio: let yourself go and learn to have a little patience.
From James’ album, which the singer admits is highly personal, it’s clear that the singer has endured hardship, heartbreak, and loss. Still, it’s equally apparent that she has gained confidence and a penchant for defiance along the way, which is what keeps her optimistic about the future of music – both her own and the soul genre as a whole.
“My love for music and my love to sing keep me going,” she said. “I love music. It’s just in me. At the end of the day, if we can get back to the music of the music business, I think we’d all be a little happier.”
Leela Jame’s A Change is Gonna Come is in stores, click here to buy.
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