Walnut Valley Occasional, December, 1998
All the songs in this album were written by Leon Howell. Wistful, sincere, thoughtful, original, fresh, poignant, philosophical and honest. Several of his selections are reminiscent of the blues from the late 1920's. His music conveys memories of a time when life was less hectic. Examples of this are the selections "Ragin' River" and "Blues, Stay Away from My Door." Leon has captured both the mood and spirit of the early blues. He points out that "Blues, your feet don't fit my shoes."
Leon says that his tunes just "come to him" and hearing this album, one realizes this is a man who really is a deep and careful thinker. In the selection "Dreams are Made from Broken Pieces" the words are likely to restore one's faith in themselves. It assures us that it is always possible to recover from trials and tribulations! "Windows from My Heart" reminds us of a cross between Bob Wills and Hank Williams, So It's son of a Williams love song in a Wills western swing style. This number contains some beautiful open harmony guitar work.
In "All I Needed (was the Christ of Calvary)" and "Sometimes I'm Country (Singing Gospel)," both titles say it all. one cannot hear these numbers without realizing that Leon Howell is a very sincere and loving, devoted, gentle man.
In short, we have here a man who writes from his heart. The tunes are by the same composer but include many different sounds and colors. Almost as an artist creates a scene, Leon 'paints' a number of settings using the musical staff as opposed to using a brush and paints.