Red to Blue
| Red to Blue | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Label | August | |||
| Producer | Beryl Handler, Leon Redbone | |||
| Leon Redbone chronology | ||||
| ||||
Red to Blue is an album by the American musician Leon Redbone, released in 1986.[1][2] It was his first album for August Records, a label started by Redbone.[3] Redbone supported the album with a North American tour.[4]
Production[edit]
The album was produced by Beryl Handler and Redbone.[5] David Bromberg accompanied Redbone on the cover of the Bob Dylan song "Living the Blues".[6] Hank Williams Jr. provided a spoken part for the cover of his father's version of "Lovesick Blues".[7] Biréli Lagrène played guitar on "Whose Honey Are You?"[8] The Roches contributed backing vocals; Dr. John played piano.[9][10] The album title comes from a Jelly Roll Morton quote that describes the transition from Spanish musical styles to blues-based ones.[8]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [11] |
| MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide | [12] |
The New York Times wrote that "Leon Redbone carries to a peak his mixture of jazz-filtered old pop songs, blues and 'contemp-folk' with the assistance of a pool of traditional jazz and folk-jazz musicians who light momentarily like hummingbirds in these performances, then take off again."[13] The Columbia Daily Tribune said that the album "saunters and shuffles like an old hepcat, past his prime but still jiving along at his own unhurried pace."[14]
The Vancouver Sun determined that "Redbone's almost hallucinogenic, sweeping you up in the gentle swing of his music and transporting you back to a '30s dance hall."[15] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution deemed the album "his standard fare—barely intelligible vocals that get so loooow, clarinets, coronets, guitars, banjoes and tuba."[16] Likewise, the Detroit Free Press considered it "the same old hambone."[17]
AllMusic praised "the usual Dixieland backing augmenting his tasteful fingerpicked guitar work."[11]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Diamonds Don't Mean a Thing" | |
| 2. | "Lovesick Blues" | |
| 3. | "Reaching for Someone and Not Finding Anyone There" | |
| 4. | "Somebody Stole My Gal" | |
| 5. | "Steal Away Blues" | |
| 6. | "Aw You Salty Dog" | |
| 7. | "Border of the Quarter" | |
| 8. | "Someday Sweetheart" | |
| 9. | "Whose Honey Are You?" | |
| 10. | "Living the Blues" | |
| 11. | "Nobody Cares If I'm Blue" | |
| 12. | "Think of Me Thinking of You" |
References[edit]
- ^ Racine, Marty (9 Mar 1986). "Records". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 12.
- ^ MacDonald, Patrick (18 Apr 1986). "Night Notes". Tempo. The Seattle Times. p. 4.
- ^ Trussell, Robert C. (Apr 9, 1986). "Leon Redbone remains eclectically eccentric". The Kansas City Star. p. 6B.
- ^ Williams, Stephen (27 Jan 1987). "Redbone's Ragtime Vaudevillian Show". Part II. Newsday. p. 8.
- ^ "Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 98, no. 6. Feb 8, 1986. p. 72.
- ^ Ayers, Chuck (31 Jan 1986). "Leon Redbone". The Morning Call. p. D1.
- ^ Quill, Greg (29 Aug 1986). "A rambling conversation with crooner/beer-booster Redbone". Toronto Star. p. D17.
- ^ a b Rense, Rip (25 July 1986). "Redbone still around — and still sentimental". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. C17.
- ^ Conan, Neal (Dec 10, 2007). "The Roches Perform Live in NPR's Studio 4A". Talk of the Nation. NPR.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (21 May 1989). "He's a Bud man". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 17.
- ^ a b "Red to Blue Review by Cub Koda". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ MusicHound Folk: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1998. p. 656.
- ^ Wilson, John S. (14 Feb 1986). "Jazz-Pop Album of the Week". The New York Times. p. C26.
- ^ Rose, Forrest (Apr 6, 1986). "Leon Redbone album another bluesy classic". Columbia Daily Tribune. p. 64.
- ^ Mackie, John (Apr 19, 1986). "Leon Redbone: Red to Blue". The Vancouver Sun. p. D4.
- ^ Yandel, Gerry (Jun 6, 1986). "Record Reviews: Jazz". Weekend. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 34.
- ^ "Red to Blue". Detroit Free Press. Jun 8, 1986. p. 5E.