What happens when you are a virtual “nobody” and you put out an album? Well, it probably doesn’t sell a lot of copies. What happens when you win a Tony Award and re-release your album? Well, people begin to pay attention. Such is the case with the little gem I found with the self-titled album put out by “Hamilton” actor Leslie Odom, Jr.
“Leslie Odom, Jr” is the self-titled album Odom first put out in 2014 through CD Baby, but lack of sales and his own displeasure with the Kickstarter-funded release made the singer take the album back to the studio. Odom wanted a better, longer album, so he remixed a couple of songs, cut others out, reorganized the songlist, and added some other songs to make a smooth soft-jazz album. Rereleased on the BMG label, this album is perfect for those nights (or days) when you want to relax and put the cares of the world behind you!
Sadly, I never heard of Leslie Odom, Jr. until the musical “Hamilton” gained popularity. I know I’m not the first one who will admit this, and I’m sure I’m not the last one, either. Odom has been singing and studying theater since he was a teenager and first appeared on Broadway in “Rent” in 2000. In 2003, he first appeared on TV in non-singing roles on shows such as “CSI: Miami”, “Smash”, “Person Of Interest”, and smaller parts on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Good Wife” before going back to Broadway in 2013 to star as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton.” Odom has been recognized for his work in the production and recently picked up the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor In A Musical.
I wish I’d had the chance to listen to his first release of this album so I could have made a good pro/con evaluation of his work. Since I didn’t even know this man’s name until now, all I have to go on is what I heard of the songs from the musical and this re-release edition of his album, and I was actually very impressed and surprised at the quality of his voice. In “Hamilton,” Odom is mostly a rapper in the hip-hop style that the play was written in. For this album, I was very surprised to see no rap at all! He has an almost Nat King Cole smoothness to his voice that sounds very light and crisp. The simile “smooth as silk” comes to mind immediately.
The jazz standard “Autumn Leaves” was the first single released from this album. It’s an older Johnny Mercer song that was first done by Nat King Cole, but the vocals are not as heavy as Cole’s, nor is the sound of the song. With light cymbals in the background, this song is a happy, jazzy tune that makes you want to do a small cha-cha as you listen to it. Another number that also evokes the need to cha-cha is “Brazil,” which is most recognized as a tune you hear anytime someone mentions Brazil or Carnival. Sung in Portuguese, Odom has the Brazilian jazz sound blended beautifully with no hard accents on the words and easy piano accented by congas. I think this song is my favorite.
Odom also takes some lesser known show tunes and gives them his own special lilt. From “The Flower Drum Song,” we hear “Love Look Away”; from “Most Happy Fella,” we hear “Joey, Joey, Joey”; and from “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,” we hear “Cheer Up, Charlie.” “Love Look Away” is still on the light jazz side, but Odom’s vocals almost makes this an R&B-sounding song. “Joey, Joey, Joey” has more of the R&B sound due to the decreased piano influence and highlighted with more double bass and light drumming. “Cheer Up, Charlie” is a very acoustic-sounding song with mostly guitar and vocals. It’s not as dark as the movie soundtrack version of this song, and it allows Odom’s upper tenor range to really show through.
I am truly in love with the versatility of Leslie Odom, Jr., not only in his acting skills but most inhis music and his voice. I very highly recommend anyone who loves light jazz to check this album out! You won’t be sorry.
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