10. "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" from Hank Wilson's Back, Vol 1 (1973)
After four strong studio albums and several other live and side projects, Leon adopted a new persona for his next album. Hank Wilson sounds like a name for a country singer, and a country album is exactly what Leon served up. Songs by Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and George Jones fill out a marvelous collection of country classics.
He opened it all with the Lester Flatt standout salute to the lazy ways of romantic bliss, “Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms.” Leon starts slightly slower than Flatt & Scruggs, but when he reaches the second verse, banjo, fiddle and everything else shifts into overdrive. Leon could get very philosophical at times. But here, he is flat-out having a blast.
9. “Come On In My Kitchen” from Life Journey (2014)
When he inducted Leon Russell into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011, Elton John said that Leon taught him a singing technique that is still uses and that “he could eat me for breakfast when it comes to playing piano.” Elton had been one of Leon’s greatest fans and took it upon himself in 2010 to make sure everyone remembered just how great the aging Russell was. They did an album together called The Union, which featured a wonderful new song called “If It Weren’t for Bad.”
But I prefer Leon’s solo follow-up Life Journey, for which he wrote a couple of strong originals and also covered everyone from Hoagy Carmichael to Billy Joel. He opened with this marvelous version of Robert Johnson’s iconic blues tune. Two years before his death, Leon’s voice is a strong as ever. BTW – Leon was grateful to Elton for reviving his career – and for helping him get a new tour bus.
8. “Crystal Closet Queen” from Leon Russell and the Shelter People (1971)
Leon opened Shelter Records with his producing partner, Danny Cordell, in 1969. They released music from Tom Petty, Freddie King, J.J. Cale, and Bob Marley among others. Shelter also released Leon's first batch of solo albums. This was from the second of those albums, a joyful paean to “the undiluted queen of rock and roll,” Little Richard. The song is a sensational combination of boogie-woogie and gospel - two major influences that help create that special Leon Russell sound.
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