Leon Redbone followed up his debut long-player
On the Track (1975) with
Double Time (1977), an equally enchanting, if not somewhat eclectic blend, of jazz, folk, blues and pop standards -- all in
Redbone's undeniably distinct throaty baritone. While the tunes may be familiar, these renderings are steeped in the artist's unique sensibilities. The results are uniformly ingenious and commence with a New Orleans ragtime flavored interpretation of
Blind Boy Blake's dirty "Diddy Wa Diddie" blues. Augmenting
Redbone's acoustic guitar is an extended cast of session stalwarts and a host of other musical notables -- such as
Milt Hinton (bass),
Jonathan Dorn (tuba),
Vic Dickenson (trombone) and
Jo Jones (drums).
Don McLean (banjo) sits in, supplying his criminally underutilized instrumental versatility on the endearing revamp of
Jimmie Rodgers' "Mississippi Delta Blues." The decidedly demented reading of "Sheik of Araby" is nothing short of inspired insanity.
Redbone incorporates a
Screamin' Jay Hawkins-esque persona belting out a variety of hoots, snorts, howls and hob-gobbles set behind a hot-steppin' fret board flurry à la
Django Reinhardt. Among the album's most affective numbers is a cover of a second
Rodgers' penned and similarly titled "Mississippi River Blues." This is one of the more intimately emotive performances on the record and features another jazz legend,
Yusef Lateef (soprano sax) -- who provides a sweet understated counterbalance to
Redbone's dogged delivery. The track is likewise enhanced with the additional textures of the orally generated "throat tromnet" [read: a cross between a trombone and trumpet] contrasting his lyrical yodels and warbles. Also worthy of mention is the languid ragtime of the
Jelly Roll Morton classic "Winin' Boy Blues."
Bob Greene's ramblin' piano inflections aptly complement the vocals -- which have been electronically manipulated to reproduce a sound likened to that of a vintage victrola. Rounding out the stack is the sublimely reverent "If We Never Meet Again This Side of Heaven." The backing harmonies are courtesy of the incomparable
Dixie Hummingbirds whose rich blend oozes from behind the minimalist lead and acoustic piano accompaniment. Potential enthusiasts are well served to begin their discovery of
Leon Redbone here. ~ Lindsay Planer