Back in 2014, Leela James released her album Fall For You, which many critics declared the best of her career and which SoulTracks selected as one of the best albums of that year. The album spawned two terrific singles, the title track and “Say That” featuring Anthony Hamilton, that have garnered millions of plays on YouTube and elsewhere.
Back in 2014, Leela James released her album Fall For You, which many critics declared the best of her career and which SoulTracks selected as one of the best albums of that year. The album spawned two terrific singles, the title track and “Say That” featuring Anthony Hamilton, that have garnered millions of plays on YouTube and elsewhere.
But as is sometimes the case, the track that has taken up residence in my ear, and has lived there for almost 2 years, is not one of the recognized hits. It’s instead a deep album cut, in fact the very last track, “Save Me.” Over a spare, up-in-the-mix beat, and amid some old-school scratching, James delivers a heartfelt plea to a former lover to rescue her from her current, fading relationship. The pain and texture in her voice are simply stunning, and she is ably joined on the track by Joe Ryan, who delivers a spot-on, hip-hop inflected vocal of his own. Don’t miss this one, SoulTrackers, it’s an instant classic that will stay with you long after you play (and replay) it.
By Robb Patryk