1. Intro
2. Music
3. Good Time
4. Ghetto
5. Slappy Interlude
6. Soul Food
7. Rain
8. Married Interlude
9. When You Love Somebody
10. Mistreating Me
11. Don't Speak
12. Bummy Interlude
13. My Joy
14. It's Alright
15. Didn't I
16. Prayer
17. I Know I've Been Changed Interlude
18. A Change Is Gonna Come
19. Long Time Doming

"Music," the first song and lead single from Leela James' first album, bemoans the death of music. She reminisces about Aretha, Gladys, Tina, and Chaka, and asks, "Can we just put the thongs away?" Her argument is flawed and tired. All four inspirations released new material during the early 2000s, and James is the latest in an extended line of artists, stretching from American Idol to any anonymous keyboard lounge on the East Coast, claiming to rescue real music. James should turn off BET and go to a record store: issue solved. The remainder of A Change Is Gonna Come -- named after the Sam Cooke song, covered here -- isn't nearly as nauseating, thankfully enough, even if it 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. Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, Chucky Thompson, and James Poyser are in on the action, giving James the kind of apt support she could've only imagined prior to recording the album. 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. Hopefully listeners won't hear all those names during "Music" and get the idea to listen to Lady Soul or Ask Rufus instead. ---Andy Kellman, AllMusic Review

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01. Clean Up Woman
02. Miss You
03. It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World
04. Baby I’m Scared Of You
05. You Know How To Love Me
06. I Want To Know What Love Is
07. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out
08. I Try
09. I’d Rather Be With You
10. Simply Beautiful
11. Let’s Do It Again

Leela James is one of the most exciting and acclaimed R&B singers to have emerged in the past five years. LET'S DO IT AGAIN, Leela's long-awaited follow-up to her powerful debut, delivers a powerful set of soul music, recorded with her own band in the studio. Highlight's include Leela's interpretation of such well-known songs as Etta James' "All the Way Down," and John Legend's "We Don't Have to Change," as well as previously unexposed gyms. ---Editorial Reviews

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01 – Soul Will Never Die
02 – Something’s Got A Hold On Me
03 – It Hurts Me So Much
04 – I’m Loving You More Every Day
05 – I’d Rather Go Blind
06 – I Want You To Ta-Ta You Baby
07 – Damn Your Eyes
08 – Nobody Loves You Like Me
09 – Old School Kind Of Love
10 – Sunday Kind Of Love
11 – At Last

When legendary blues and Jazz singer Etta James died of leukemia in January 2012, she left behind millions of mourning fans, one of whom was critically acclaimed and highly talented Soul singer Leela James. And although the two weren't related, Leela was so impacted by her idol's passing that she decided to record a full album of remakes of Etta's songs. The result, Loving You More ... in the Spirit of Etta James, is not only a loving and respectful tribute to one of the best singers in American history, it's an album that Etta herself would likely be flattered by and proud of. Loving You More, which will be released in the U.S. July 31, 2012, is a fitting homage to Etta's musical legacy. ---Mark Edward Nero, randb.about.com

After one album for Stax, Leela James returns to Shanachie, the label that facilitated the all-covers set Let's Do It Again. One could be forgiven for glancing at the back of Loving You More...In the Spirit of Etta James, recognizing that all but two songs were once recorded by Etta, and feeling let down that Leela, once more, is leaning on music from an era that predates her birth. After all, her previous album was her best yet and showed that she was coming into her own as a songwriter. However, Loving You More is both reverent and imaginative. It's not just the range of the source material, which roams from the earliest part of Etta's career (including 1961's "At Last" and "Sunday Kind of Love") to the later years (Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "I Want to Ta-Ta You Baby," covered by Etta in 1998). It's also the boldness that comes with the number of drastic rearrangements, the most excellent of which is the transformation of the blues-gospel ballad "I'm Loving You More Every Day" into late-'70s/early-'80s-style soul-disco. The two originals -- "Soul Will Never Die" and "Old School Kind of Love" -- are sturdy enough to be mistaken for covers. Leela honors her hero and, yes, makes nine old songs her own. That's not easy to do. ---Andy Kellman, Rovi

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01. I Ain't New To This (2:30)
02. So Cold (3:43)              play
03. The Fact Is (4:08)
04. I Want It All (3:33)        play
05. Party All Night (4:03)
06. Mr. Incredible Ms. Unforgetable (Feat. Raheem DeVaughn) (3:52)
07. Tell Me You Love Me (3:30)
08. Let It Roll (2:44)
09. Supa Luva (4:52)
10. If It's Wrong (3:21)
11. It's Over (3:27)

Personnel
    * Dwayne Moore - Bass
    * Shelby Johnson - Composer, Vocals (Background)
    * Milton Fletcher Jr. - Keyboards
    * Bud Wales - Sax (Tenor)
    * Brenda Walkin - Sax (Tenor)
    * Barry Wilson - Sax (Baritone)
    * Deborah Mannis-Gardner - Sample Clearance
    * Tiffany Wilson - Vocals (Background)
    * Raheem DeVaughn - Composer, Vocals (Background), Vocals
    * Johnnie "Smurf" Smith - Keyboards
    * Leela James - Arranger, Composer, Vocals (Background),
    * George "Spanky" McCurdy - Drums

Let’s Do It Again, a covers album released on an independent label in 2009, fared significantly better on the charts than Leela James' 2005 debut, a major-label release. One could interpret this irony as a case of a major mishandling an artist, but it’s just as likely that it took a few years for word about James to spread. She’s one of those R&B singers whose ‘70s-throwback voice belies her birth year (1983), built more for a steady career and a slowly developing fan base than overnight platinum success. Now on Stax, longtime home of Mavis Staples (one of her most evident inspirations), James finds herself in an ideal setting. My Soul is James' best yet in every way. It does not feature quite as many big-name collaborators or eye-popping elements as her debut, but the material is stronger, more balanced between vintage and contemporary sounds, and James sounds more comfortable in her voice. Just as important is that she is coming into her own as a songwriter; four of the songs were written entirely by her, and they are among the album’s most affecting moments, ranging from the yearning, dropped-guard “So Cold,” to the forceful “I Want It All,” to the carefree “Let It Roll.” Do make sure you stay until the end, through the steamy “Supa Luva” and “If It’s Wrong,” as well as the deadly “It’s Over” (“That’s why I changed the locks on my door, ‘cause love don’t live here no more”). ---Andy Kellman, AllMusic Review

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