Any Time
Before Leon Redbone's ineffable 1975 debut,On the Track, appeared, rumors circulated that this offbeat presence was actually aBob Dylanalter ego. Given Dylan's winning croon on hisSopranoscoverof "Return to Me," the distance between the song-poet's wisdom and Redbone's friendly Tin Pan Alley exhumations has shrunk somewhat of late.Anytime, while hardly as surprising as his earliest work, finds Redbone still making small, intriguing connections between material as far afield as blackface entertainer Emmett Miller's (and later,Eddy Arnold's) classic title tune,Jelly Roll Morton's "Sweet Substitute," and "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree." Applying his pleasantBing-meets-Jimmie Rodgersmurmur to the impossibly hoary likes of "Moonlight Bay" and "Blossoms on Broadway," Redbone achieves some of the album's most indelible moments; the dream world he conjures is irresistible.Anytime's small-band jazz arrangements make it fine comfort music, with the guest clarinets ofKen Peplowski, Bob Gordon, and Dan Levinson a particularly welcome touch. Those not familiar with the pleasure Redbone can give should first buyOn the Track, but longtime fans will no doubt appreciate this new addition to his discography.--Rickey Wright