Modern Day Millie
Leela James' fiery contralto is just about the last thing you'd expect from a young singer signed to a major label in the age of Beyoncé. Despite attempts to pair her with top producers (Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq), there's nothing radio-friendly about her sound, which probably explains why her debut, last year's A Change Is Gonna Come, stalled somewhere around the middle of the album charts. Today's audiences like their female singers tough, but not too tough. And because the Neo-Soul movement has always looked more to Roberta Flack than to Etta James for its inspiration, good old-fashioned "house-wreckers" are pretty much confined to gospel these days.
For this reason alone, Leela James would command attention, even if critical attempts to turn her into the next Millie Jackson are premature. James nails the high-stakes emotion, but what's missing is the attention to structure that makes Jackson's best performances so affecting. For all its grit, James' delivery lacks a cohesive center, and the sense that she's working hard is too obvious (Tina, Aretha and Gladys only make it look easy). So-so material, much of which James has a hand in writing, is also a problem.
James is no different from most of her contemporaries, and she's clearly a sharp enough singer to carve out a stylistic path of her own. Best of all, her new Live in New Orleans EP, available through download only, evinces a looseness of spirit only hinted at in the studio release. Which means that Tuesday's concert at Irving Plaza is an ideal way to experience this singer who, given current popular tastes, might as well have come from another planet.