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Liberator 4.5
Leela James' album is full of that "back porch blues." This native shows that her musical roots are grounded in the early African-American tradition. It is knee-slapping soul music that is rarely found in the mainstream mix. Her music is the perfect combination of old and new. Her single "Music" poses the question many of us ask, "Where did all the music go?" (Notice the absence of the word "good"). Apparently she knows, because she managed to package an awful lot into her CD. "Soul Food" is a wonderful serving of "Sweet… sweet potato pie… collard greens and yams on the side," as she details a love for a man that has her screaming "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa." This brother must have slipped up fairly quickly, because the interlude, "Married" (only a-minute-forty seconds) -- in which she empties her heart onto a track that would make any young couple want to jump the broom -- is soon replaced by four or five songs highlighting several different aspects of a dismal relationship. By the end of her album, however, Leela manages to shake off her brother-got-me-down blues and redirects her energy with "Prayer" where she realizes she didn't make it out those blues all by herself. While her choice of album title (a nod to Sam Cooke) let me know she was going to make it out of her blues, that change came a little late for me. The transition from back porch blues -- making your spine feel good -- to song after song of being done wrong by a former love could have been much smoother. It left me, as listener, wondering where the James, whom I'd so quickly grown to love, had gone. Though she comes back later, I wish it were sooner. The ups definitely out weigh the downs on this Gordon "The Commissioner" Williams (Miseducation of Lauryn Hill) produced album. It lacks a bit of fluidity, but compared to the radio's six-song playlist it flows like the Nile. words: Dave "dread" McDuffie |
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