Its release precipitated by the success of 2010’s highly touted Elton John collaboration The Union, Capitol's 2011 The Best of Leon Russell is a necessary addition to Russell's catalog in a number of way. Not only is it designed to hook in those listeners who discovered or rediscovered the eccentric pianist via The Union -- “If It Wasn’t for Bad,” a selection from that 2010 LP, is placed right up front among the 16 songs -- but Russell hasn’t had a compilation since 1997, when the Right Stuff released the single-disc Retrospective, a distillation of the previous year’s double-disc Gimme Shelter, so it’s time for a new disc. The Best of Leon Russell does its job very well, hitting all the obvious high points -- “A Song for You,” “Hummingbird,” “Tight Rope,” and “Delta Lady” all follow in succession -- downplaying his Hank Wilson records a little but stopping for a duet with Willie Nelson on “Heartbreak Hotel” and finding space for his “Jumpin’ Jack Flash/Youngblood” medley from The Concert for Bangladesh. Perhaps there are certain eccentricities that could have been included but this best-of provides the basics in a thoroughly entertaining fashion.
The Best of Leon Russell
Leon Russell
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The Best of Leon Russell Review
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Track Listing
| Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leon Russell | 02:50 | Amazon | ||||
| 2 | Leon Russell | 03:10 | |||||
| 3 | Leon Russell feat: Elton John | 03:43 | Amazon | ||||
| 4 | Leon Russell | 04:08 | |||||
| 5 | Leon Russell | 04:00 | |||||
| 6 | Leon Russell | 02:59 | |||||
| 7 | Leon Russell | 04:02 | |||||
| 8 | Leon Russell | 04:01 | Amazon | ||||
| 9 | Leon Russell | 05:08 | |||||
| 10 | Leon Russell | 04:22 | |||||
| 11 | Leon Russell | 03:35 | |||||
| 12 | Leon Russell | 03:50 | Amazon | ||||
| 13 | Leon Russell feat: Willie Nelson | 03:00 | Amazon | ||||
| 14 | Leon Russell | 03:31 | |||||
| 15 | Leon Russell | 05:25 | |||||
| 16 | Leon Russell | 10:39 | Amazon |
