My Soul (Leela James album)

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 Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and at number 37 on the US Billboard 200 chart.[1]

My Soul
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 25, 2010 (2010-05-25)
Genre
Length39:43
LabelStax
Producer
Leela James chronology
Let's Do It Again
(2009)
My Soul
(2010)
Loving You More... In the Spirit of Etta James
(2012)

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com     [2]
All About Jazzfavorable[3]
Allmusic     [4]
Billboardfavorable[5]
The Dallas Morning NewsA[6]
Milwaukee Journal Sentinelfavorable[7]
PopMatters5/10[8]

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."[4]

Track listing

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of My Soul.[9]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Ain't New to This"
  • Leela James
  • Billy Earl Kennedy
  • Gus McKinney
  • Gerrard Baker
2:30
2."So Cold"
  • James
  • Kadis & Sean
3:43
3."The Fact Is"
  • Steven "Supe" White
4:08
4."I Want It All"
  • James
3:33
5."Party All Night"
  • James
4:03
6."Mr. Incredible – Ms. Unforgettable" (featuring Raheem DeVaughn)
  • James
  • DeVaughn
  • Thompson
3:18
7."Tell Me You Love Me"
  • Baker
3:30
8."Let It Roll"
  • James
  • Thompson
2:44
9."Supa Luva"
  • Gerald Craig Glanville
  • Shelby Johnson
  • Butter
4:52
10."If It's Wrong"3:21
11."It's Over"
  • James
  • Sammy Friedman
  • William "Mickey" Stevenson
  • Carvin & Ivan
3:27

Sample credits[9]

  • "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

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Charts

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Chart (2010) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[10] 37
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[11] 7

References

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  1. ^ "Pollo Del Mar explains it all for you". Billboard.com. 2010-06-14. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  2. ^ Nero, Mark Edward (May 24, 2010). Leela James – My Soul Archived 2010-06-01 at the Wayback Machine. About.com. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
  3. ^ Barteldes, Ernest (June 25, 2010). Leela James | My Soul. All About Jazz. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
  4. ^ a b Kellman, Andy (June 2010). My Soul - Leela James: Review. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
  5. ^ Mitchell (June 18, 2010). Leela James, "My Soul". Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
  6. ^ Tarradell, Mario (May 24, 2010). CD review: Leela James is passionate, powerful on her 3rd CD. The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
  7. ^ Banks, Geraud (June 8, 2010). CD Reviews: AM Taxi, Leela James, Blame Sally, Raze, - JSOnline. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
  8. ^ Maine, David (July 8, 2010). Leela James: My Soul. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2011-03-17.
  9. ^ a b My Soul (Media notes). Leela James . Stax Records. 2010.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ "Leela James Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
  11. ^ "Leela James Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
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