My Soul (Leela James album) explained
My Soul is the third studio album by American soul singer-songwriter Leela James. It was released by Stax Records on May 25, 2010, in the United States, marking James' debut with the label. Her highest-charting effort to date, the album debuted and peaked at number 7 on Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number 37 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[1]
Critical reception
Allmusic editor Andy Kellman found that "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."
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of My Soul.[2] Sample credits[2]
- "I Ain't New To This" contains a sample of "Solitary Love Affair", performed by Millie Jackson.
- "The Fact Is" contains a sample of "Lovely Way She Loves", performed by The Moments
- "Tell Me You Love Me" contains a sample from "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye", performed by The Manhattans.
- "It's Over" contains a sample of "Can't Be Alone", performed by Hodges, James & Smith.
Personnel
- Anabel DeHaven – Make–Up, Stylist
- Kyonte Vincent – Engineer
- Al Manerson – Executive Producer
- Dwayne Moore – Bass
- Shelby Johnson – Composer, Vocals (Background)
- Milton Fletcher Jr. – Keyboards
- Michael Gassel – Package Design
- Sammy Friedman – Composer
- Gus McKinney – Composer
- Gerrard Baker – Producer
- Gerald Craig Glanville – Composer
- Carvin Haggins – Composer
- Carl "Chucky" Thompson – Producer
- Bud Wales – Sax (Tenor)
- Brenda Walkin – Sax (Tenor)
- Billy Earl Kennedy – Composer
- Barry Wilson – Sax (Baritone)
- Andrea Martin – Composer, Vocals (Background)
- Sylvia Robinson – Composer
- William "Mickey" Stevenson – Composer
- Gordon Williams – Composer, Engineer
- Paul Blakemore – Mastering
- Deborah Mannis–Gardner – Sample Clearance
- Billy Brown – Composer
- Mary Hogan – A&R
- Eric "Ebo" Butler – Engineer
- Tiffany Wilson – Vocals (Background)
- Ray Murray – Producer, Engineer
- Malik Albert – Producer, Engineer
- Ivan "Orthodox" Barias – Producer, Engineer
- Carvin "Ransum" Haggins – Producer, Engineer
- Seth Presant – Mixing
- Raheem DeVaughn – Composer, Vocals (Background), Vocals
- Steve "Supe" White – Producer, Engineer
- Johnnie "Smurf" Smith – Keyboards
- Leela James – Arranger, Composer, Vocals (Background), Additional Production, Executive Producer, Vocals
- George "Spanky" McCurdy – Drums
- Devin DeHaven – Photography
- Ben Wendel – Sax (Tenor)
- Kadis – Producer, Engineer
- Larissa Collins – Art Direction
- Mark Bowers – Bass, Guitar
- Al Goodman – Composer
- Chris Dunn – Executive Producer
- John D. Loudermilk – Composer
Notes and References
- News: Pollo Del Mar explains it all for you. 2010-06-14 . . 2010-06-14 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090619094705/http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/gsf/2008/02/pollo_del_mar_explains_it_all.html . June 19, 2009.
- My Soul. Leela James . 2010. Stax Records.
