Leela James
Leela James carries on the tradition of classic soul while putting a contemporary spin on the idiom with her combination of rich, gritty vocals and highly personal songwriting. Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, and Tina Turner were among the vocalists to whom the Los Angeles native was likened early in her career, which was established with A Change Is Gonna Come (2005), her assured full-length debut. James has since set herself apart with a succession of unpredictable albums. After the Stax-issued My Soul (2010) and Shanachie recording Loving You More...In the Spirit of Etta James (2012), James went independent with her own label. Among her self-issued recordings are Fall for You (2014), See Me (2021), and Thought U Knew (2023), albums that have seen James reference numerous eras of R&B with modern finesse.Born Alechia Janeice Campbell in Los Angeles, Leela James first appeared on a handful of '90s rap recordings as a background vocalist. Under the name Alechia James, she placed songs on a pair of soundtracks released in 2000. First was "Holding Back the Years," a Simply Red cover for Whatever It Takes, followed by James' own composition, "Work," which paired her with the Roots and appeared on the soundtrack for Bait. After she was showcased on an uplifting track off Pete Rock's Soul Survivor II, "No Tears," she made her proper debut on Warner Bros. in 2005 with A Change Is Gonna Come. Featuring a cover of Sam Cooke's song of the same title, as well as one of No Doubt's "Don't Speak," the throwback-oriented set involved assistance from major figures including Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, James Poyser, and Chucky Thompson. It entered the Billboard 200 at number 148 and was followed with an appearance on Ray Charles' posthumous Genius & Friends, as well as nominations for Soul Train Music and NAACP Image awards. After splitting from Warner Bros., the singer landed on the roster of Shanachie and recorded one of the label's more inspired all-covers sets, Let's Do It Again, released in 2009. The same year, she contributed to "Walk with Me," a highlight on Moby's Wait for Me album. The singer switched to the storied Stax label for My Soul, a 2010 release that featured some of her own songwriting and peaked in Billboard's R&B/hip-hop Top Ten. A return to Shanachie yielded 2012's Loving You More...In the Spirit of Etta James, a release more adventurous than the title indicated. James launched her BMG-distributed Shesangz label for her fifth album, 2014's Fall for You, home to her three highest-charting Hot Adult R&B tracks, such as the Anthony Hamilton duet "Say That." Around the same time, James began a two-season stint on the reality television series R&B Divas: Los Angeles. Did It for Love, James' sixth album, offered her most refined mix of vintage and contemporary sounds to that point. Its first single, "Don't Want You Back," became a number one hit on the adult R&B chart in 2017. See Me, produced by James and Rex Rideout, was released four years later and returned the singer to the top of that chart with "Complicated." James was back in 2023 with Thought U Knew, heralded with a title song deeply rooted in mid-'70s funk.
© Andy Kellman /TiVo
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Discografía
31 álbum(es) • Ordenado por Mejores ventas
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Thought U Knew
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 27 oct 2023
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Right Back In It
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 14 jul 2023
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Reach For It
House - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 11 nov 2022
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Thought U Knew
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 22 sept 2023
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2BHONEST
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 22 ago 2025
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Fall For You
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 8 jul 2014
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Did It For Love
R&B - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 31 mar 2017
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
See Me
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 30 jul 2021
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Loving You More…In The Spirit Of Etta James
Soul - Editado por Shanachie el 31 jul 2012
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My Joy (Internet Single)
Soul - Editado por Reprise el 4 nov 2003
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A Change Is Gonna Come (U.S. Release)
Soul - Editado por Warner Records el 29 may 2005
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Music (Internet Single)
Soul - Editado por Reprise el 4 nov 2003
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Live In New Orleans (DMD Album) (Live Version)
Soul - Editado por Warner Records el 18 oct 2005
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Complicated (feat. Anthony Hamilton) (The Remix)
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 8 oct 2021
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2BHONEST (Deluxe Edition)
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 21 nov 2025
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Honest
Soul - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 8 ago 2025
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Don't Want You Back
R&B - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 21 oct 2016
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo -
Reach For It
House - Editado por BMG Rights Management (US) LLC el 11 nov 2022
Disponible en16-Bit/44.1 kHz Estéreo