Margo Price Leads All-Star Line-Up For Leon Russell Tribute Album 'A Song For Leon'
Wednesday, 12 July 2023
Written by Jon Stickler
Photo: Alysse Gafkjen
Margo Price is to lead an all-star tribute album celebrating the late American musician and songwriter Leon Russell.
Titled 'A Song For Leon', the project is due out on September 8 via Primary Wave Music/Secretly Distribution, and will feature a number of tracks from the southern rock legend reimagined by guest artists.
The first preview comes in the form of country singer Price's enthralling and faithful cover of Stranger In A Strange Land, from the icon's 1971 second album 'Leon Russell and the Shelter People'. She said:
"I’ve always loved Leon Russell’s vibe and approach to music and life in general. I completely fell in love with him after watching the documentary by Les Blank called A Poem Is A Naked Person. I had the pleasure of briefly meeting him at a show many years ago in the hallway. I always remember what he said during the live interview that day, which was that ‘It was his job to misinform the press'. He was an old man at the time, but I’ll never forget how mischievous he seemed.
"This song is so prolific. After my band and I cut it, we decided to perform it live at many shows. The monologue in the middle is my favorite. It still seems absolutely pertinent, and its subject still matters today. He’s talking about the afterlife and equality and goes off about starting a new race where we all just learn to love each other. We can all learn a thing of two from Leon Russell."
Other contributors to the 10-song record include U.S. Girls, Pixies, Orville Peck, Nathaniel Rateliff, Leon’s daughter Tina Rose with Jason Hill and Amy Nelson (daughter of Willie), Bootsy Collins and Hiss Golden Messenger. Check out the tracklist and cover art below.
Leon Russell died in 2016 aged 74.
'A Song For Leon' tracklist:
1. Margo Price – Strangers In A Strange Land
2. Durand Jones & The Indications – Out In The Woods
3. Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – Tight Rope
4. Orville Peck – This Masquerade
5. U.S. Girls With Bootsy Collins – Superstar
6. Pixies – Crystal Closet Queen
7. Monica Martin – A Song For You
8. Bret McKenzie With The Preservation Hall Jazz Band – Back To The Island
9. Tina Rose, Amy Nelson, Jason Hill – Laying Right Here In Heaven
10. Hiss Golden Messenger – Prince Of Peace
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