Leela James

She may not impact the charts in any significant way, but that may just be a sign that Leela James is doing something right. Like a few other talented soul divas these days (who can't seem to elbow anemic-voiced waifs out of the way fast enough), this LA native is on a one-woman quest to resurrect the "soul" in neo-soul, and if her 2005 release A Change Is Gonna Come is any indication, she's on the right track. A small woman with a high speaking voice, James shakes the rafters when she sings, expressing the kind of passion and pathos that once gave soul music its name. Her voice rivals Me'Shell Ndegeocello's for sheer intensity, but James proves the more supple of the two, playfully slipping into upper registers whenever she needs to.