Grade: A-
Leslie Odom, Jr. is a rising star most famous for playing Aaron Burr in “Hamilton.”
That exposure has led many to admire his voice, and that voice is the star of his debut album “Leslie Odom Jr.” This album neatly pulls off the trick of being both refreshingly old-fashioned and effortlessly cool.
“Leslie Odom Jr.” is comprised of standards from classic musicals and songs made famous by music icons like Nat King Cole and Willie Nelson.
The youngest song on the album is 10 years old. I didn't know most of them before I heard this album, but their age makes them ripe for rediscovery.
The musical arrangements don’t make them feel old, either. Each song has a crisp sound that makes it enjoyable to hear.
Odom’s voice handles these songs expertly. His vocals have a silken quality that makes them perfect for covering melancholy songs like “Love Look Away.” But his voice also has a great power to it, as he demonstrates on “I Know That You Know.” The album is worth listening to just for Odom’s high note at the end of “Joey, Joey, Joey.”
He’s backed by a versatile band throughout this album. It switches ably from the jazzy arrangements on most of the songs to the Latin sound of "Brazil (Aquarela do Brasil).” The pianist has a great solo on “Autumn Leaves” and the aforementioned “Love Look Away.”
One of my favorite tracks on this album is “The Guilty Ones,” a song from the musical “Spring Awakening.” Odom sings this song with a beautiful range as his voice goes from a low soft register to a more powerful higher register. The percussion adds to the intensity of the song.
Some of the songs blend together, since most of them have a similar cool jazz sound. Sometimes I wished that they’d taken a few more experiments in terms of their music.
This album is actually a reworked version of an album with the same title Odom released in 2014. He got the opportunity to rework it, so he reorganized some songs and added four new ones. He also cut three songs from the track list.
I admire Odom’s perfectionist nature. I haven’t listened to the older version of this album, but I expect that this album is better than the original. The difference between the two is probably the same as between the first draft of a paper for class and the revised version after you’ve had a day to think it over.
“Leslie Odom Jr.” is a good showcase for an exciting artist. Listening to this album is like sitting in a jazz bar and hearing a singer you won’t soon forget.
jpastern@indiana.edu | @jessepasternack
