A Change Is Gonna Come (Leela James album)
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- Bennett Studios (Englewood, New Jersey
- Platinum Sound Recording Studios (New York City, New York)
| A Change Is Gonna Come | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 21, 2005 | |||
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| Length | 64:54 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Leela James chronology | ||||
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| Singles from A Change Is Gonna Come | ||||
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A Change Is Gonna Come is the debut album by American soul singer–songwriter Leela James. It was released on Warner Bros. Records on June 21, 2005 in the United States.[1]
James covers Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and No Doubt's "Don't Speak" on the album.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| New Zealand Herald | [4] |
| Vibe | [5] |
Boston Globe critic Renée Graham found that A Change Is Gonna Come "has brushes of hip-hop but is very much an R&B album, and a very good one at that. Leela James has a rich, compelling voice, and her CD is propelled more by pure talent than studio wizardry."[6] People magazine found that "with the vintage R&B sounds on her debut [...] this petite woman with the big voice is a refreshing change from today's BET booty-shakers. The L.A. native has clearly learned well from the old-school masters; her husky vocals, equal parts gospel fervor and down-home grit, conjure shades of Mavis Staples, Betty Wright and Tina Turner."[7]
Allmusic editor Andy Kellman wrote that the album "retains a nostalgic tint. James has the stature of a woman who should possess a squeaky voice, but she sings with demonstrative grit. More importantly, she doesn't see her inspirations merely as artists to mimic; she sees how they learned from the past and applied it to the present. The past is built upon (if only a little), rather than simply revisited [...] There's plenty of thematic range, whether there are blue lights in the basement, tears on the pillow, sweat on the dancefloor, or sun showers on the porch."[3] Rebecca Barry from The New Zealand Herald felt that A Change is Gonna Come "does ooze the kind of old-school vibe and heartfelt delivery that makes it easy to believe her when she sings about crying into her pillow. Butt while producers [...] try to mix up her styles [...] there's little to distinguish each song from the next."[4]
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of A Change Is Gonna Come.[1]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 1:25 | ||
| 2. | "Music" |
| 4:03 | |
| 3. | "Good Time" |
|
| 4:16 |
| 4. | "Ghetto" |
| 3:50 | |
| 5. | "Slappy" (Interlude) | 0:57 | ||
| 6. | "Soul Food" |
|
| 3:18 |
| 7. | "Rain" |
|
| 4:08 |
| 8. | "Married" (Interlude) | 1:40 | ||
| 9. | "When You Love Somebody" |
|
| 4:30 |
| 10. | "Mistreating Me" |
|
| 5:13 |
| 11. | "Don't Speak" |
| 4:46 | |
| 12. | "Bummy" (Interlude) | 0:52 | ||
| 13. | "My Joy" |
|
| 4:57 |
| 14. | "It's Alright" |
|
| 4:03 |
| 15. | "Didn't I" |
|
| 3:17 |
| 16. | "Prayer" |
|
| 3:57 |
| 17. | "I Know I've Been Changed" (Interlude) | 2:05 | ||
| 18. | "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Sam Cooke |
| 3:35 |
| 19. | "Long Time Coming" |
|
| 4:02 |
Notes
- ^[A] denotes co-producer
Sample credits[1]
- "Good Time" contains replayed elements from "Funky Sensation", written by Kenton Nix, performed by Gwen McCrae.
- "When You Love Somebody" contains elements of "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know", written by Al Kooper.
- "Didn't I" embodies portions of "I Can't Fake It Anymore", written by D. Monda and T. Taylor.
- "Long Time Coming" embodies portions of "The Truth", written by Dwight Grant, Kanye West and Graham Nash and performed by Beanie Sigel.
