Seven years passed between 1994's
Whistling in the Wind
and
Leon Redbone
's next studio album,
Any Time
-- which, like his previous recordings, demonstrates that the singer was born in the wrong time.
Redbone
should have been born in 1900 or 1905, but lucky for listeners, he wasn't -- and his nostalgia has made for a lot of enjoyable moments. On this 2001 release,
continues his love affair with the
jazz
,
pop
, and
folk
of the '20s and '30s. The crooner takes listeners back to a time when
Herbert Hoover
or
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
was in the White House, and he maintains a relaxed, congenial, laid-back ambience on vintage tunes that include
"In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree,"
"All I Do Is Dream of You,"
Jelly Roll Morton
's
"Sweet Substitute."
Drawing on influences that range from
Hoagy Carmichael
to
Bing Crosby
-- although he has more of a rural, folksy, down-home outlook than the latter --
pays tribute to what is often thought of as a more innocent and naive period of American music. Of course, not all of the music from the '20s and '30s was innocent. Classic
blues
singer
Lucille Bogan
"Shave 'Em Dry"
(just to give one example) is as raunchy and X-rated as anything by
2 Live Crew
Prince
, or
Lil' Kim
. But a lot of '20s and '30s songs did have an innocent sort of charm -- at least by today's standards -- and that is the type of mood that
goes for on this CD. Anyone who has enjoyed
's previous releases will find
to be a rewarding addition to his catalog. ~ Alex Henderson