On her debut A Change Is Gonna Come (2005), Leela James immediately showed that she has a great love for the soul vocals of the seventies. She used the space of the significantly lesser Let's Do It Again (2009) to cover her favorite songs. She did this fairly faithfully, without any room for her own interpretation. With this she showed that she can handle classical material very well, but is better
… at writing her own songs. With My Soul everything falls into place. She has since signed with the legendary Stax label, which was responsible for many unforgettable soul hits of the sixties and seventies and some originals of the covers on Let's Do It Again. In addition, she has recognized her own strength as a songwriter and wrote ten of the eleven songs herself. On My Soul she again shows that she can handle both carried ballads and more up-tempo material. Souldivas like Aretha Franklin and Mavis Staples can be proud of her. (AD)more
