Leela James is one of those singers whose voice will stop someone dead in their tracks. You know the kind: a voice so powerful and unique that even the casual listener must give it a cursory listen—at the very least—before going about their day.
No matter one's musical preference, it would be hard to deny that Leela's got soul. Raw emotion exudes from her gritty vocals, all of which are underpinned by passionate lyrics. And while such realness may not find a welcome place on mainstream radio, millions have stumbled upon her music online and through her memorable live performances.
Leela James' debut album, A Change is Gonna Come, features several fan favorites, like "Music" and "My Joy," which showcase the depth and breadth of her musical abilities. And in 2009, James covered some of her favorite singers on Let's Do It Again, a specialty album released by Shanachie Records.
Upon review of her sophomore release, Leela James managed to squeeze some time out of her busy schedule and settle down for an interview with Clayton Perry — reflecting on Betty Wright, her passion for music and the grueling, four-day recording experience for Let's Do It Again.
"Leela James isn't doing things again; she's doing them right." These are the words of Ken Capobianco of the Boston Globe. How do you feel about the warm response that you received with your sophomore release, Let's Do It Again?
You know, I'm very, very, very happy and relieved that it's being well-received. I worked really hard on this particular record, and I only had one week to record it. My band and I went into the studio and we basically knocked it out. It's just a blessing that the hard work paid off in that short amount of time. People have really welcomed the project with open arms. And I am currently working on my next project. I'm really, really excited about that.
When I first heard about Let's Do It Again, I was really excited. I must admit, however, that I was a bit surprised, since it wasn't an album of original material. What made you decide to record a cover album for your sophomore release, instead of an album full of original material?
I was already working on my album of original tunes when Shanachie Entertainment approached me with this project as a one-off – just to do it for fun, basically. I love the music and it's no-strings-attached, so I said, "Well, yeah!" We recorded it and they wanted to put it out right away. Let's Do It Again is setting the stage for my upcoming record of original tunes that we're dropping off this year. So it's just music. At the end of the day, this is what I do, and if I have the opportunity to do it as much as possible, then that's what I'm going to do. It just so happened that Let's Do It Again came out before my second original album.
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