Leela James, A Change Is Gonna Come (COLOR)

A1. Intro 

A2. Music 

A3. Good Time 

A4. Ghetto 

A5. Slappy (Interlude)

A6. Soul Food B1. Rain 

B2. Married (Interlude) 

B3. When You Love Somebody B4. Mistreating Me 

C1. Don't Speak 

C2. Bummy (Interlude) 

C3. My Joy C4. It's Alright C5. Didn't I 

D1. Prayer 

D2. I Know I Been Changed (Interlude)

D3. A Change Is Gonna Come 

L.A.-based soul singer Leela James started out singing backup vocals on Hip-Hop albums in the late 90s and early 2000s. In 2004, she recorded the song "No Tears" on Pete Rock's "Soul Survivor 2", shortly after she signed a deal with Warner Bros Records and released her debut album A Change is Gonna Come, named after her cover of the Sam Cooke song. A true soul singer, with a voice comparable to Mavis Staples and Betty Wright, Leela enlisted Commissioner Gordon to oversee production, which included tracks by Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, Wyclef Jean, and Chucky Thompson. The lead single, "Music," is an ode to the soul singers of yesterday, with a Hip-Hop feel. She performs a soulful R&B cover of No Doubt's "Don't Speak" and alternates between funky uplifting tracks like "Good Time" and "Soul Food" with downtempo, soulful ballads like "When You Love Somebody" and "My Joy." Leela James departed from Warner after the release of her debut and went on to release seven more studio albums.