Life Journey is an album by singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Leon Russell produced by Tommy LiPuma (with Elton John credited as executive producer) released on April 1, 2014. It was recorded in 2013 and 2014. In this album, Russell renewed his songwriting after his 2010 collaboration album with John, The Union. Leon has two original songs on the album, "Big Lips" and "Down in Dixieland".
Leon Russell took this ‘Life Journey’ on tour in 2014 and 2015.
Touring with him was multi-instrumentalist Beau Charron, longtime bassist Jackie Wessel and drummer Brandon Holder.[1][2][3][4]
Life Journey is Leon's next to last album, as his death was in November 2016. On a Distant Shore recorded in 2016 and released on September 22, 2017, was Leon's last album.[5][6][7][8]Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra played on "Georgia On My Mind", "I Got It Bad & That Ain’t Good", and "New York State Of Mind."[9]
Reception
The album received general positive reviews. Rock critic Nick DeRiso wrote: "Nothing quite matches Russell interpreting Russell, as heard on Big Lips — which also features Chris Simmons on slide, Abe Laboriel Jr. on drums and Willie Weeks on bass."[10][11]
AllMusic reviewer, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, wrote about the album: "This small list suggests how Life Journey touches upon much of the music Russell has sung over the years -- it's heavy on R&B, blues, jazz, and swing, but strangely lacking in much country." AllMusic rated the Life Journey album as one of the Best of 2014.[12][13][14][15][16][17]