Leon Russell
★★★★
Signature Songs
DARK HORSE. CD/DL/LP
Leon Russell’s songbooksung solo.
The late Leon Russell was like Hoagy Carmichael after a hundred acid trips: a masterful composer of the latter-day Great American Songbook with a visionary, mystical manhandle. A member of the studio musicians dubbed The Wrecking Crew, he did sessions for Frank Sinatra and Phil Spector, but was dubbed ‘The Master of Space and Time’ when he became ringleader of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen for his ability to play outside the sonic box. This collection of originals was initially self-released in 2001 and is being reissued on George Harrison’s label, co-run by George’s son Dhani. The top-drawer material is astonishing – ASong For You, Tight Rope, Delta Lady, This Masquerade, Hummingbird – with Russell’s raw and mostly solo vocals accompanied only by his sui generis blend of concert and honky-tonk piano.