ย
As Leela James'ย Spotify biography puts it, the R&B/soul singer-songwriter'sย influences are old-school. You can hear the singersย she cites as her inspiration โ her dedication to her forebears goes so far that she recorded an album in 2012 as a tribute to the woman with whom James shares an immense vocal talentย and the same last name, Etta James.
The living James' newest album, Fall for You, released July 8, plays along with the genre in terms of vocals and a classic love theme. The instrumentation is a bit more modern; the first three seconds of the opening song could be mistaken for a dub-step intro, and James turns that into a devil-may-care soundย and lyrics that come across as both love note and warning: "Who's gonna love you more than me? // Search the mountains and the seas // I guarantee you'll find no one like me."
She softens a bit as the album progresses, bringing Anthony Hamilton onย for the jazzy, cruise-dinner-style "Say That" and leaving listeners hungry for more collaborations:
Her voice, gravelly and reminiscent of Janis Joplin's, transcends the melody and pulls listeners into the song.ย The album's gem is the balladic title track, complete with rolling piano chords and soft finger-snapping:
It's easy to hear why she might not be as widely knownย as pop peersย such as Beyoncรฉ โ part of it is herย old-school style, staying true to her genre, and part is that she just doesn't seem to care about the radio hits. But her songs blend together, teetering on the edge of blandness at times. She doesn't build songs so much as start at the throttle level she'll end with.ย Fall for Youย is mature but not innovative.
Still, as her website biographyย says,ย "her interpretation of music touches on synesthetic," and that raspy, throaty interpretation can turn make a dull song worth listening to. It's the kind of music that sounds fun to sing. Next time, perhaps she'll stretch further.
Specific situations that warrant listeningย toย Fall for You:
- You're getting ready for a decade-themed party, you're just a little sleepy, and you need some music to get you in a swinging mood without tiring you out.
- You're sick of pop music, and you're missing Etta James.
- You're watching a Disney princess movie and think it needs a new soundtrack (suggested song: "Everything").
- You haven't listened to anything with a synthesizer in a while, plus you're trying to figure out love. Hint: It's complicated and very simple.
