Sugar (Reis)

Leon Redbone | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 17, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B0002IQI24
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,826 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #28 in Music > Jazz > Traditional Jazz & Ragtime > Ragtime

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUGAR IS SWEET, September 30, 2004

By 

Unlucky Frank (Lalaland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sugar (Reis) (Audio CD)

SUGAR is sweet, but not as sweet as this!! This is my favorite Leon Redbone recording. I like this one just a little bit better than ON THE TRACKS, which most of his fans consider his best work. Maybe because it's new to me. If you're new to Leon you might want to start with ON THE TRACKS. If you're already a fan and don't have this, you don't know what you're missing.

This is sweet sweet Jazz music. Crooning New Orleans' Jazz Ballads and Mississippi Delta Blues is Redbone's signature style. Stand out tracks include: the spooky haunted house jive of GHOST OF THE ST. LOUIS BLUES. The beautiful lakeside croon of PRETTY BABY and WHEN I TAKE MY SUGAR TO TEA, the crazy mad cackle of LAUGHIN' BLUES, a strange Orleans Marching song called WHISTLING COLONEL complete with Leon's wonderous songbird whistle jam with a piccolo, and of course you get his soft signature yodel.

This recording is unusual in that it has a good many Orleans Jazz instrumentals without Leon singing vocals. More than I was expecting the first time I heard this. This may suprise some fans who are looking for more Leon Redbone to add to their collection. But don't let that fool you. This is a great recording. JAZZ FANS TAKE NOTE: This is one of the best modern recordings of a dying art form. This is New Orleans Jazz at it's finest. And some fine crooning to boot. No one sings quite like Leon Redbone. And I mean, NO ONE. If you have eclectic taste in music, you must have this.

A HOST OF LEON REDBONE'S FINEST RECORDING HAVE JUST BEEN RE-ISSUED BY ROUNDER. GET YOURS BEFORE THEY DISAPPEAR AGAIN. YOU WON'T BE SORRY. I also recommend UP A LAZY RIVER, RED TO BLUE, ANYTIME, ON THE TRACKS, DOUBLE TIME, FROM BRANCH TO BRANCH, and CHAMPAGNE CHARLIE. ENJOY.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply Redbone, May 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sugar (Audio CD)

Is there any other? Is there any equal? Can there be, my sugar and me, the scion of harmony! Another topper of all time great musical charms! Redbone brings the lost melodies back to life. Don't just buy this CD. Buy every Redbone you can. There will never be another in our lifetime.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "So, Relax", November 11, 2008

By 

Sherringford Clark (Mayor's Income, Tennessee) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sugar (Reis) (Audio CD)

I agree with the other reviewer, this is one of Leon Redbone's best albums and my favorite to listen to. I prefer it to "On the Track," not because the individual songs are necessarily better (some are!)on "Sugar," but becasue it definitely flows better as an album. However, it is difficult to compare the two albums, because "On the Track" is more bluesy than this album, which has New Orleans jazz flavor throughout.

And Leon Redbone really gets a smooth sound on this record. Every song is a downright pleasure. "So, Relax" is a great song (and an original composition), perhaps a Leon Redbone musical manifesto. "When I Take My Sugar to Tea" is a particularly fine performance, but you could say that about every song here. "14th Street Blues," though Leon Redbone does not sing (or even whistle), is an absolutely perfect piece of music.

If you're looking at the reviews of this album, do yourself a favor and buy it. This will give you endless hours of enjoyment. But even though this may be Leon Redbone's best album, you can't buy just one. As others note, this music is strangely addictive, and you will find yourself wanting more and more of his albums, so be forewarned.