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Monday, May 3, 2010

Leela James Bears Her Soul


Seems like the new millennium has brought in a wave of soul artist who haven’t gotten a Grammy, most haven’t hit platinum sales numbers yet. But they make great music, have a solid fan base waiting for them to hit the stage or drop a new CD. During an era when many artist are copy and paste clones Leela James, knew it was time for something fresh and released her debut CD in 2005 “A Change Is Gonna Come”. Songs like “Good Time” and “Music” combined with her energetic performances solidified her name at soul festival around the globe.

Leela is back with a new team, new label and new album. "My Soul" hit stores May 25 and she is “excited” about its release. Since the first album she released a project of cover songs, but only a few fans heard of it. However she has had an aggressive tour schedule taking her from US turf as far as South Africa and Switzerland. Although she enjoys the creative process in the studio, she admits she loves to be on stage. In between tour dates she worked on new material and made visits to the Soul Train Awards and NAACP Image awards not to perform but because she was nominated for awards.

Before gaining mainstream success Leela grew up in Los Angeles, performing in talent showcases and later working the local music scene. She grew in a house that fused an eclectic mix of Soul, Funk, Gospel and Hip Hop. “I’m a product of all those genres. I like all kinds of music and this album will show those parts of my personality,” she said. “I called this album “My Soul” because it’s the most accurate reflection of who I am than anything I’ve recorded.” The first single is

“Tell Me You Love Me,” in which she says, the title speaks for itself. She co-wrote that song, but says “I want It All” is a song she wrote on the spot. The version that is on the CD was recorded in one take and was all freestyle. “That’s what I was feeling at the time and it all came out” she admits.

Although on the surface all that we see is the glamour of the entertainment industry, Leela says one of the biggest lessons she’s learned is to put God first. Early in her career she has already had to assemble a whole new management team and even signed to a new Label. Although cautious not to give details about the dispute with her previous manager, she did say “You try to see the good in everyone, but you can’t trust everyone.” She was more candid about the dissolved relationship with Warner Brother Records claiming that they weren’t fully behind the first album. She feels that the CD should have had a stronger marketing and promotional campaign.
Now she is with Stax Records, a label that has been around for years, but not with the same big name artist as the more popular labels. Stax is credited with breaking Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding. James says she’s happy to be on a legendary label who has a history of soulful music. On the new label she has more control and says the label is fully supporting her movement.

Part of the demise of Stax’s visibility was due to business practices. Even today many labels are folding because of the internet, but Leela has full confidence in her company. However she does recognize the benefits of the internet as well. She is on Twitter and Facebook, and confesses to its power in marketing her music for free but also says of the internet it’s nothing you can do (to stop people from stealing music).
Leela is co-hosting a BET TV show “My Black Is Beautiful” which airs in May. She says she likes doing TV, but loves the freedom she has when on stage doing music. For now you can find her videos on Youtube, follow her on Twitter.com/leelajames or hit her on facebook.

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