1 	Rise 	4:26
2 	Enchanted Life 	5:32
3 	Breathe You In 	5:21
4 	Angel Love 	6:24
5 	Come Through 	4:35
6 	Living Without You 	5:48
7 	I Found You     Featuring [Vocals], Acoustic Guitar – Celso Fonseca	4:33
8 	Deep Surprise 	4:50
9 	Send It Out To The Universe 	6:20
10 	Rain 	3:57
11 	Right Now 	4:27

Acoustic Guitar, Guitar [Electric], Bass [Ebo], Effects [Zvex Landscapes] – Robert "Crit" Castillo
Drums, Percussion, Cymbal [Ambient Texture Cymbals], Percussion [Claps] – Davey Chegwidden
Effects [Beats], Synthesizer [Moog, Synths], Bass, Electric Piano [Rhodes], Mellotron, Piano – Sebastian Arocha Morton
Programmed By [Additional Programming], Bass, Electronics [Decks], Drums [Hi Hats], Percussion – Andreas Allen 

Although Los Angeles singer/songwriter Samantha James claims 1980s cocktail-pop singers Sade and Basia as two of her primary influences, her debut album, Rise, sounds as if her true heart lies in that period in the mid-'90s when those singers' contemporaries Everything But the Girl lost their taste for twee U.K. indie guitar pop and jazzy torch songs and transformed themselves into a downtempo electronica act. It was a transformation that worked surprisingly well, not least because Tracey Thorn's smoky, wine-dark vocals and Ben Watt's knack for languid minor-key melodies both suited the style unexpectedly well. Samantha James is no Tracey Thorn, and her songwriting and production partner Sebastian Arocha Morton is no Ben Watt, but albums like Walking Wounded are no embarrassment as musical touchstones, and James doesn't embarrass herself in her re-creation of the style. The best songs, like the dreamy "Enchanted Life," the lushly tropical "Rain," and the bossa nova-influenced "I Found You," a duet with Celso Fonseca, are those that leave the dancefloor in favor of those dark, intimate banquettes in the quiet corners, where James' honeyed voice and the duo's fondness for mellow late-night atmospheres are best suited. On the more overtly dance-oriented tracks, like "Breathe You In" and "Living Without You," James sounds like just another anonymous dance club diva, and the '80s-throwback rhythm boxes don't help her cause. ---Stewart Mason, AllMusic Review

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1.	Waves of Change  
2.	Veil
3.	Satellites
4.	Amber Sky                 play
5.	Subconscious
6.	Tonight - (featuring Messertraum)
7.	Life Is Waiting
8.	Illusions
9.	Tree of Life
10.	Free
11.	Find a Way
12.	Maybe Tomorrow
13.	Again and Again            play

Counter to the overpowering vocals of many female dance singers, Samantha James’ low-key delivery meshes with her underlying beats to hypnotize listeners and take them to a euphoric state.

It is appropriate, then, that her latest album is called Subconscious and that the set ventures away from exclusively utilizing house melodies, which were so prevalent on her last release, Rise. Not that they are gone completely, as proven with “Illusions,” a lightly pulsating composition which drives James to proclaim that visions are illuminating her mind and “showing me the magic in my life.”

The fragile song that’s sung on “Subconscious” gives nod to an unnamed source whose “energy is turning [her] on” while also giving permission for said source to “take me where you think I belong.” Requiring less thought are the “aaaah-aaaah-whooooas” of “Life is Waiting,” a proverbial dance porn with repetitious statements sang over music made strictly for dancing.

Making a foray into pop is “Satellites,” a smooth, guitar-driven cut tinged with light nursery rhyme and symphonic elements that speaks of transcending beyond the here and now. “Again and Again” is all piano, as Samantha goes acapella to speak of loss and grief.

“Waves of Change” embraces James’ traditional sound as her voices gently wraps around the track’s atmospheric touches and paradise themes. By comparison, “Veil” is a more up-tempo, though the subject matter can be interpreted the same, as Samantha encourages listeners “to be one.”

Subconscious demonstrates a versatility that’s rare among dance music vocalists, as James successfully showcases pop-crossover potential, an ability to handle a club groove and a smooth jazz delivery of intoxicating vocals. Taken together, these traits make the disc an audible treat compared to mainstream music’s over-caffeinated offerings. ---j.ly, thatsmyjamradio.wordpress.com

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