Leon Russell may not necessarily be a household name, but he was certainly a studio session name of sorts. He’s played as a session musician with groups and musicians as George Harrison, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, B.B. King, Dave Mason, Frank Sinatra, and Willie Nelson, to name just a few. This album features the likes of Klaus Voorman, Mick Jagger, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Merry Clayton, Steve Winwood, and even Eric Clapton. I’m not sure what to expect genre-wise from this album, but I’m pretty excited to check it out.
“A Song for You” has a very bright, warm, almost bewildering piano introduction. His voice is absolutely incredible in this one. Wow, this composition is truly beautiful. I guess it was inducted into the Grammy hall of fame in 2018, a couple of years after Russell’s passing. There’s so much feeling in the vocals, it’s really awesome. Wow, that piano almost has a jazz-like feeling to it. It’s produced extremely well, I must say – incredibly clear.
“Dixie Lullaby” is really awesome – it’s like some sort of weird, a little southern, rock and roll blues track. The harmonica really sounds awesome. Wow, I was so bewildered I could barely even think about writing anything regarding my feelings and the music.
“I Put a Spell On You” is super interesting – the track has at least 3 different false starts I think, and it’s a lot of feeling out how the track is going to work out. When it finally all drops in, the entire thing is an awesomely delicious rock and roll jam. This kind of reminds me of the Grateful Dead’s 1973 era playing of “Big River” in the pace and general feel. Those background vocals give a really southern gospel chorus vibe. I’m so blown away at this point. I have no idea who is playing what instrument in any song because of all the features, and that makes it all the more awesome in my opinion. This music feels so pure to me.
“Shoot Out On the Plantation” has a super cool introduction. Oh wow, that bass is super tasty in this one. This one feels like a southern blues rock sort of piece. The tune just keeps on rolling down the line – holy smokes I’m really digging this one. Oh wow, the way that piano just sort of walks down those almost chromatic little bits really has a great flavor to it all.
Oh wow, that bluesy acoustic guitar at the intro of “Hummingbird” has me hooked in. Wow, everything just kind of keeps slowly rolling in. Wow, this introduction is making a lasting impression for me. The song almost softens up a bit when Russell comes in with the vocals. Wow, the piano, bass, and drums really seem to almost shake about one another at times. Holy smokes, that guitar riff is incredibly tasty. It’s almost a ballad of sorts after a certain point. The electric organ really adds an almost surreal layer to the song. Holy smokes, everything really comes together so well, and then you add in saxophone and background gospel chorus it really crescendos extremely well.
“Delta Lady” has a great classic rock and roll feel with a southern twang to it. Wow, I’m even reminded a bit of Led Zeppelin a bit at a couple moments in the song. That piano is really just a-rollicking around in this one. There’s a lot of feeling packed into one for sure. Wow, this tune is a heck of a rock and roll piece. The vocals are truly awesome with the feeling you get from them. The bass and drums and piano all meld together extremely well in an awesome conglomeration of music.
“Prince of Peace” is super interesting with the steel and acoustic guitars and their twang, then there’s an awesome fuzzed out electric guitar riff playing on top of them. I can’t tell what’s being used for the drums, but it’s got some sort of scraping steel rattling sound to it. I’m really jamming out to this one; I can’t help but knock my fingers and knuckles against my desk to the tune as I listen. The vocals are impressive as always. They kind of remind me of Dr. John a bit, if Dr. John had moved out of Louisiana around the age of 13 – just a slight ting of that swamp rock feel.
“Give Peace a Chance” is almost a joyous gospel celebration of peace, with some incredible soulful vocal lines coming from the background as the clapping and piano drive the song forward. It really softens up a bit, becoming something almost savored at about the midway point, only for it to pick up in tempo once again. I’ve never been to a baptist church, but if they’re anything like they are depicted as on TV, they probably sound a bit like this song.
“Hurtsome Body” has a rollicking bluesy piano introduction to it, and some super impressive production of the vocal layers. Wow, the bass guitar is super tasty in this one. It’s really swirling the song around a bit, until the electric guitar takes that role and the bass keeps the song moving up and down as it bops along. This one has a super interesting feel to it. It keeps switching up the vibe a bit, yet is incredibly cohesive in doing so. The evolution of the song is amazing to me. The beats are quite spacious near the end, giving a lot of force to what’s happening in the song at the end.
“Pisces Apple Lady” has the most pop feel to it so far – I’m almost reminded a little bit of Randy Newman a little bit on this one. It’s not really bluesy, but it’s definitely got a nice rock and roll feel to it. The drums are pretty cool too – definitely have a pop-y feel to them, and then the chorus breaks through and they let loose a bit. That piano really feels like it’s digging down really nicely. These songs are absolutely infectious – I can’t help but smack my hands on my desk along with the tune.
“Roll Away the Stone” has a really awesome rock and roll feel to them. And this one feels exactly that – pure rock and roll. The tone of the distortion on the electric guitar is really awesome. I’m kind of reminded a bit of The Rolling Stones’ Goats Head Soup (1971) a bit on this particular track. Wow, those little jams between the guitars and piano are really amazing. The bass line in this one is super infectious. I really dig the galloping feel of the blocks(?) in the percussion. Wow, this one is an absolutely stellar track.
“Masters of War (Old Masters)” is a cover of a Bob Dylan tune, and it’s just piano and Russell basically singing to the tune of the “Star Spangled Banner”. Wow, what a beautiful, strong, thought-provoking piece to the end the album on. Stunning.
I’m quite pleased to have listened to this album tonight, and will most definitely be listening to more Leon Russell soon. If you like rock and roll, I think you’d find this album incredibly enjoyable. Definitely worth every second of listening, in my opinion.
-A