Since leaving his post as the lead guitarist of the .357’s, Shooter Jenning’s backing band, Mr. Powell has been nothing if not prolific. Barely 6 months after Powell’s sophomore release, Angles and Curves, comes a new album and a new direction from Leroy with Paranoid.

I’ve never been shy about my adoration for Leroy’s music (here and here). He wrote my favorite Shooter Jennings songs and his first two solo albums still get regular rotation on my iPod. All this time I’ve described Leroy’s sound with the following, “If you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s with your Daddy listening to country music radio, then you are already familiar with the sound and feel of this album.”

While the country element of Leroy’s “Psychedelic, Southern Rock, Heavy Blues with Country Roots” sound has taken center stage on his first two solo albums, the Southern rock and blues get the spotlight on Paranoid and the results are spectacular. Better than spectacular actually…it’s his best work to date. The standout track on the album has to be Leroy’s take on the Sonny Boy Williamson classic “Good Morning Little School Girl”, which is a Southern rainy night in August type of sexy.

This is an album you need to check out, folks. Seriously. It’s beyond Essential Listening and it’s easily my favorite album of this young year. Leroy, if you read this….this is you in your element. Keep following this path!

Leroy Powell – Good Morning Little School Girl
Leroy Powell – Back Door Betty
Leroy Powell – I Can’t Take Me Anywhere

Leroy Powell’s Official Site, Leroy Powell on myspace, Buy Paranoid

I might make this week all about modern bands with the classic country sound. Last month I briefly mentioned the Leroy Powell had a new album out, Angles and Curves. After having spent a few weeks with the album, I can not recommend it to you enough. If you grew up in the 70’s and 80’s with your Daddy listening to country music radio, then you are already familiar with the sound and feel of this album.

Angles and Curves was recorded over 2006-2007 in between touring with Shooter Jennings as a member of Shooter’s backing band, the .357’s, and while working on the recently released posthumous Waylon Jenning’s record, Waylon Forever. It is produced by the legendary music producer Eddie Kramer, along with Evan Frankfort and Dave Cobb and it continues to build on the base that was his self-titled debut. Once again it features his backing band The Worst Best Friends, featuring younger brother Chris Powell on drums, Jason Cope on guitar and Slade McCombs on bass, but the real standout is Leroy. His voice is unimpeachable, while his electric and slide guitar playing are equal parts new and exciting and pure nostalgia with a nod to country radio’s better days.

Don’t sleep on this album just ’cause it’s a digital release, it will certainly find it’s way into heavy rotation if you give it a chance. Lord knows it’s in my Essential Listening list.

Leroy Powell – Dollars & Sense
Leroy Powell – Angles
Leroy Powell – Truckin’

Leroy Powell’s Official Site, Leroy Powell on myspace, Buy Angles and Curves

As I mentioned last week, Leroy left Shooter’s backing band (the .357’s) and Shooter’s new album is shoddy. Are the two related? I dunno, but all of this inspired me to finally pull Leroy’s cd from my “to listen to” pile and put it in the cd player. Three songs into it I knew that Leroy’s influence is exactly what Shooter’s album is missing. Who knows if Leroy had split before, after or during the recording of Shooter’s new disc, but Leroy’s solo disc embodies what I’m missing when I listen to The Wolf.So, who is this Leroy Powell? He is a Redlands, California native, raised on music from the age of 10. Upon moving to LA in the late 90’s, he spent his time playing in funk and rock bands. While I do not profess to know Leroy, I am gonna guess that his Daddy listened to country music as a kid, and after a few years in LA he hooked up with a fiddle player, Travis Parker, and they embarked down the left hand path of country music. A few years passed and then he hooked up with Shooter, did a few albums in Shooter’s backing band (writing some of the better songs on them), then recorded his self-titled cd earlier this year and left the .357’s and embarked on a solo career.

Enter Leroy Powell and the Worst Best Friends, featuring younger brother Chris Powell on drums, Jason Cope on guitar and Slade McCombs on bass. They are now in the process of recording Leroy’s sophomore effort, currently titled Angles and Curves, which will be produced by legendary music producer, Eddie Kramer.

Back to Leroy’s self-titled effort. If you grew up with a Daddy listening to country music, you are gonna love this disc. You could que it up between Waylon, Merle and a whole slew of other classic 70’s/80’s artists and it would not sound a bit out of place. Hence the earlier guess that Leroy’s daddy must’ve exposed him to country music as a kid. This album is part trip down nostalgia lane and part completely awesome new album that I should have listened to months ago. It’s definitely in the running for ninebullets.net’s album of the year award. That and a nickel won’t get you a god damned thing but it’s better than nothing…..I guess, except that it obviously means it at least has a place on the Essential Listening list. Listen to the mp3’s, love ‘em…buy the cd…love it too.

Leroy Powell – Gypsy Lady
Leroy Powell – I Go To Extremes
Leroy Powell – We Are Blessed

Leroy Powell’s Official Site, Leroy Powell on myspace, Buy Leroy Powell’s debut cd

Edit: I meant to include this video when I posted this earlier. Better late than never I suppose. It’s Leroy’s debut video for the song “Keep the Diamond”: