Send "Leon Russell " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Popmatters |
 You can’t write a review for an album released by Leon Russell in 2011 without mentioning the words “Elton” and “John”. By now, we all know the story about how the Brit brought the California-born piano man back from the depths of career mortality by throwing together an album for him to participate in, booking a tour he could tag along on, and essentially re-introducing the words “Leon” and “Russell” back into an entire new hipper-than-thou generation’s musical vernacular. And that’s OK. There’s nothing wrong with what John did. Not even at Russell’s height of popularity could he have had the means to play to tens of thousands of people on a nightly basis, let alone be given the opportunity to be thrown into such mainstream outlets as what turned out to be a somewhat awkward performance on Saturday Night Live. The guy never really fit in. He wasn’t Southern enough to be considered Southern rock. Not pop enough to be considered a star. Not bluesy enough to be considered a bluesman. Not smooth enough to be a balladeer. And not soulful enough to be considered a gospel singer. But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t worthy enough to be considered amongst music’s elite songwriters and piano players. That’s why what Sir Elton did wasn’t simply just a nice gesture. It was imperative. The masses needed to be aware of Russell’s greatness, and hell—if it wasn’t going to be the guy who helped pen such classics as “Candle in the Wind” and “Rocket Man”, then who was it going to be? It’s not like the boys from Hanson, who have famously been longtime Leon Russell backers, could have provided such resurgence in a career as seemingly lost and ignored as Russell’s....full text |
| Blogcritics |
| The last year or so has validated Leon Russell as one of the legendary performers in rock history. He has been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and released a duet album with Elton John that returned him to the upper regions of the American album charts. His career began during the 1950’s as a member of The Starliters with J.J. Cale. He moved on to session work, the television show Shindig, and working with Phil Spector. In 1970, he released his first, self-titled solo album and dozens more would follow during the next four decades with a great deal of commercial success. His big breakthrough came as the music director/ringmaster of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, 1969-1971. He has since worked with many of the legendary musicians of the last half of the 20th century, including George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, The Band, and Bob Dylan. The Best of Leon Russell is a 16-track retrospective that concentrates on his 1970’s material plus one track from his recent album with Elton John. "Best of" may not be the most accurate way to describe this album. "Representative" is probably a better description as it presents his better known material from various stages of his career. While 16 tracks can’t come close to covering his vast catalogue, the album still provides a nice taste. It centers upon his 1970’s material. ”A Song For You,” “Shoot Out At The Plantation,” “Delta Lady,” and “Hummingbird” all come from his debut album. They are representative of the gritty rock ‘n’ roll that dominated his early career. There are a number of other highlights as well. “Lady Blue” is his laid-back brand of Cajun rock ‘n’ roll. “The Masquerade” is a good example of the subdued, melancholy type of material that appears throughout his career. “A Hard Rains A-Gonna Fall” is his rousing version of the Bob Dylan tune which graced his Leon Russell And The Shelter People album. “Back To The Island” is possibly his smoothest performance, one that makes you almost smell the ocean breeze. In 1979 he recorded a country album with Willie Nelson. Included here is their laid-back cover of “Heartbreak Hotel,” which reached Number One on the American country charts. The album draws to a close with his wild and out-of-control performance of the “Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Youngblood” medley from The Concert For Bangladesh....full text |
| Theseconddisc |
| There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Leon Russell, upon accepting his induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, thanked Elton John for rescuing him from “a ditch beside the highway of life.” Thanks to the success of The Union, the collaborative album between John and his early idol, Leon Russell’s profile has been considerably high of late. It’s been so high, in fact, that one member of the Steve Hoffman Music Forums even queried of the community, “Is Leon Russell getting too much exposure?” Judging by the new The Best of Leon Russell (Capitol/EMI 509990 71044 2, 2011), the answer is most definitely “No!” The Best of Leon Russell is the pianist/arranger/composer’s first anthology since Retrospective, released by Capitol’s The Right Stuff imprint in 1997. Its 16 tracks have 11 in common with that compilation, but one added track is among the album’s most important, and trumpets this collection’s raison d’etre: “If It Wasn’t For Bad,” from The Union. This is the third track on this set, and it signals that The Best of Leon Russell has been largely designed as a primer for Russell fans who might have discovered the idiosyncratic artist from the John collaboration. It also happens to be a fine reminder of a musician who, indeed, spent too long on the side of that highway. Hit the jump for more on The Master of Space and Time! After making an impression around the scene in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Leon Russell first gained wide prominence as an in-demand session pianist for the famed Los Angeles “Wrecking Crew,” playing for Phil Spector, Frank Sinatra and everybody in between. A close ally of producer Snuff Garrett, Russell arranged such pop classics as Gary Lewis and the Playboys’ “This Diamond Ring” and co-wrote the group’s hits “Everybody Loves a Clown” and “She’s Just My Style,” to which he contributed some smoking guitar! After all of this success, he concentrated on his songwriting and a budding solo recording career. Yet Russell has always been difficult to categorize. He has embraced rock, soul, gospel, country, blues and even psychedelia during his career, but the melodic pop sensibility honed from his early days is very much in evidence on solo compositions like “This Masquerade,” “A Song for You,” “Superstar” and “Delta Lady.” ...full text |
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