Leela James – “Let’s Do It Again”
(Black American Standard Music – Where da Party People At?)

I’m not quite sure why I’m even bothering to write this review. I
already know that some of yall aren’t going to like the album, Leela
James – “Let’s Do It Again”. That’s cuz it’s…

:::HARDCORE SOUL:::

Really and truly I don’t really have to say much more than this album is simply… “One that you wait for your parents to be away for the day, roll back the carpeting in the living room & dining room, remove all of the good glasses & plates that might break, invite your friends over, fry up some chicken wings, break out
the paper plates & plastic silverware, get a few bottles of Boone’s Farm/T-Bird and run the whole M*therF*ckin album from end to end and then run it back it again…” Any of yall who ever lived in the projects know exactly what kind of a party I’m talkin about. The album Leela James – “Let’s Do It Again”, can easily provide ALL of the music that you need for a party in the projects!!!

(Am I allowed to use the word FONK around here?)

This album exists in an “alternate universe” that’s sweaty, it’s
funky, there’s no health food, the term “dow jones industrial average” doesn’t exist in our vocabulary, and political correctness is something that we aren’t bothered with!!!

IT”S STANK/NASTAY

In short this album is a self contained, hellified, project apartment 4D house party, from an alternate universe that quite simply doesn’t exist, or does it? Well it’s a universe that exists for me. That universe is called…

:::HARDCORE SOUL:::

Check out this track listing….( You can listen to snippets of Leela’s Music Here: Leela James Music

1. Clean Up Woman

2. Miss You

3. It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World

4. Baby I’m Scared Of You

5. You Know How To Love Me

6. I Want To Know What Love Is

7. Nobody Know’s You When You’re Down And Out

8. I Try

9. I’d Rather Be With You

10. Simply Beautiful

11. Let’s Do It Again

Yes it’s true, you have heard these songs before. You may have even heard them in that “alternate universe” that I spoke of earlier. True enough Betty Wright, Al Green, Bootsy Collins, Mtume, Angela Bofil, Foreigner, the Rolling Stones, James Brown and other famous artists are covered here. (but you ain’t never heard these songs like this before)

It’s Jazz, Blues, R&B, Rock n’ Roll…….ain’t no “neo/creole” sh*t happening here.

It’s….:::HARDCORE SOUL:::

So therefore, I’m not certain how many of yall will dig an album of …

:::HARDCORE SOUL:::

That’s because it comes from that same “alternate universe” where although you planned everything perfectly for the party, grandma comes walking in suddenly, everybody stops dancing, grandma sees the mess, but listens to bout 10 seconds of the music, starts shakin her be-hind and says; “why did yall stop dancing?” (everyone smiles and starts dancing again).

It’s that “alternate unverse”, where Black folks dig the Rolling Stones, as long as you don’t tell them that is what is playing…

I can say with certainty that knee-grow (urban) radio stations won’t play it. Knee-grow (urban) radio stations don’t play…

:::HARDCORE SOUL:::

I can however say with absolute certainty that there will be songs from this album being played on:

Blues @ RadioIO.com
http://www.radioio.com/channels/blues

NuSoul @
RadioIO.com
http://www.radioio.com/channels/nusoul

RnB Mix @
RadioIO.com
http://www.radioio.com/channels/rnb-mix

Today’s
RnB @ RadioIO.com
http://www.radioio.com/channels/todays-rnb

Top 20
RnB Hits @ RadioIO.com
http://www.radioio.com/channels/top-20-rnb-hits

(look for it on these stations in the next few days)

This album is what mah boy the late Jon Gilbert used to call “an instant party in a box.” (from end to end….channeling Betty Wright at the beginning and Mavis Staples at the end)

:::HARDCORE SOUL:::

Some of yall aren’t gonna like this kinda music. However I can’t afford to worry about what the rest of yall are gonna like or not like right now, cuz I’m too busy right now pullin back the carpeting, “mrs. earthjuice” is frying up some chicken (in bacon grease), I just emailed a bunch of friends to come over here tonight and I’m callin up liquor stores to find out if I can get some Thunderbird here in the suburbs….

Although some of yall won’t like this music, cuz you really don’t want
to deal with

:::HARDCORE SOUL:::

(the young kids will be stealing it, they know what the real deal is…)

Leela James CD available at Earwax Online, Listen Now @
Leela James Music

SOUL (The Old PBS TV Show)

Normally I have no interest in posting any links whatsoever to
video’s (especially the illegal one’s on YouTube, that would shut down
Soul-Patrol if we distributed them).

http://www.thirteen.org/soul/episodes/january-10-1973

However this is one case, where I am not only happy to post a link, but to also encourage you to share with others.

One of the very first questions that we got here on Soul-Patrol.com, back in the mid 1990’s was one to this effect: Does anyone out there remember the old PBS TV show called SOUL (hosted by Elis Hazlip) and if so where can we either see or purchase those old episodes?

–Until now, the official answer to that question was always:
“I dunno.”

–The “unofficial answer” was always:

“IT’S IN THE HANDS OF SOME GOD DAMN CULTURE BANDITS WHO ARE GETTING READY TO MAKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF MONEY ONCE AGAIN RIPPING OFF BLACK CULTURE”

Today I am pleased to report that you can go to the following link and view these classic programs right in the place where they should have always been available. The website of WNET, channel 13 in NYC/Newark, the TV station where these shows were originally broadcast.

http://www.thirteen.org/soul/episodes/january-10-1973

I’m pleased to report that I spent a fair amount of time at the site
yesterday watching one of my favorite broadcasts from the series, which featured an in studio concert with Earth, Wind & Fire.

I remember watching this episode when it was originally broadcast in 1973 (I was a senior in HS at that time). The quality of the video is simply stunning. I had only previously seen it of course on a black & white TV set. This stuff is in color and it looks to me to be in very high quality.

And of course the “color” is important, never before or since has there ever been a more “afrocentric” TV program. The effect is so stunning, that it even made me shed a tear of nostalgia for the kind of “organic” afrocentric mindset that the show enabled.

http://www.thirteen.org/soul/episodes/january-10-1973

And of course the music is totally off the chain. IT’S ASTANK AZZ BASS, GUITAR, KALIMBA, DRUMS, COMNGA, etc. It’s Earth, Wind & Fire at the very height of their power as one of the most essential Funk bands of it’s generation (prior to their big sellout a few years later), doing songs like POWER, “DON’T LET ME BE LONLEY TONIGHT” (feat Jessica Cleaves on lead) and some kinda untitled off the chain FUNK JAM that I couldn’t get enough of.

http://www.thirteen.org/soul/episodes/january-10-1973

Go & check it out, in all there are about 9 different episodes from the series posted on Channel 13 website for your viewing pleasure.

And be sure to share this with your children so they can get a glimpse of why people like myself cry when we view stuff like this and lament: “this is the way it was all supposed to be…”