Here’s one of Léon’s friends' reactions :

 

Hey Léon!

Thanks for sending these tracks to me!

I like the way each song pulls us into a new, and almost parallel universe, each with a unique atmosphere and musicality, orbiting around your poetry and what insights you have come to terms with. 

 

In the order of the mixing workflow, not the album pacing: 

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1-Crazy:

A beautiful song, your colourful vocals are so soothing, like an elixir, what a beautiful voice you have! I also really love the rootsy-ness of this song. It makes me feel good and grounded. I dig the lyrics, organic, poetic and lofty, sometimes all at the same time. ;-)

Thanks for sending it to me! It was a wonderful way to start a Saturday morning!

Have a great weekend! Kudos for your song!!!

 

2-Under a Pale Moon:

Love it! Great vibes, range and melodic shifts. Slightly Beatlesque, reminiscent of when music would take more risks and leaps at originality! The music is spiritually uplifting, the lyrics ache with simple, beautiful honesty. 

 

3-Jumpin’ Jack Flash:

Hi! A very interesting take on a well-loved rock classic, completely unique vocal style, ranging from intimate whispering, to cursive belting. I love the way the lyrics breathe and share the spotlight with the trippy musical arrangements. :-) Great job!

 

4-Muddy Water:

Deeply groovy, Beatlesque vocal arrangements filled with tons of highs and lows, pure prosody… LOVE it!

 

5-This Town:

Velvety, true-blue/jazz, wizardly crafted, overflowing with raw emotion, this song reaches out, touches and resonates in one long beautiful sweep!

 

6-Lost at Sea:

Fluid and flowing, soaking with striking guitar licks, grooving held bends, ebbing to and fro, on top of lyrical waves of dreaminess ;-)   

 

7-Magic:

Funky bass lines and guitar riffs mix perfectly with rich timbres in the bewitching chorals, as well as the deep, hooking and slightly, salaciously, suggestive vocals ;-)

  

8- Cold Tonight:

Perky yet downbeat, with an unforgettable guitar solo that propels us deeper into the melodic bass lines, sheer epic construction, and oh so lyrically catchy, the mantra “I’m catching a chill” pleasantly haunts the ear ;-)

 

9- In the Slowlane:

I love how the colorful keyboards merge perfectly with the R&B and gospel accents. This song comes on nice and slow and then starts digging deep, soaring with melodies and a great range of textures! 

 

10- You Brought Me Around:
Enigmatic disco, with the spirit of revelation, mysticism, and bohemia, finely nuanced between poetry and melody, upbeat, with mood-shifting resonance ;-) 

This one, in particular, showcases your expressive baritone voice, seemingly unlimited in range, possesses a light, spiritual, timelessness, bathing the listener in sense and sensuality.

 

11 and 12—I’ve Got a Hole in My Pocket:

Imagery is strong and persuasive, we find ourselves wandering, our emotions find a way of mixing in with your metaphors!

I love both versions, but save the best for last, you did! Ending with fun, relaxed vitality, a captivating fusion of blues and jazz. 

 

Overall, I really like the intimacy of this collection. Together, they generate moods of reflection, of challenging places we all have been, in our hearts and in our minds. Gifts of greater self-understanding, laced with that laid-back vibe and a nimble sincerity in your voice, we hear the wisdom of experience shining through. ;-)

All the songs rarely come across as being similar to each other. Your lyrics have a life of their own, surrounded by that superb musicianship, there is so much to admire and appreciate, and all at the same time!

 

Kudos for creating such a really great album of original songs, and of course, I’d be curious about your final pacing ;-)

 

(David Ritchie, May 1 to July 22, 2021)