By: Scott O`Brien
hen a person's soul speaks through their music, the feelings behind the performance somehow transcend the notes, moving directly to the heart of the listener if they are receptive. Such is the case with New Jersey-based guitarist/singer Leon's debut solo album, MY SOUL SPEAKS. He's assembled an outstanding collection of a dozen original songs here, two of which are vocals. He caresses beautiful, gentle sounds out of his hollow body jazz guitar... the kind of sounds that make listening to this disc truly special and satisfying. Leon's style reminds me of George Benson, and his grasp of melody and feeling are impressive. I'm especially taken by "Sweet Tomorrow," "Lisa," "Island Summer," and "Popcorn." As the liner notes express so concisely, "Is there anything more beautiful than having the ability to share one's self with others and to do it through music?" Leon's notes regarding each song share some of his profound thoughts and feelings, no doubt intensified by his mother's death from cancer. He describes her as the core of his being, dedicates MY SOUL SPEAKS to her memory, and intends to donate one dollar to cancer research for every album sold. I really like Leon's touch, and find his compositions to be especially conducive to feeling peaceful and centered, obviously coming from the love and care he's put into this project, and the goal of bringing his listener "to a place where peace, love, and lightness of spirit dwells..." MY SOUL SPEAKS belongs in your library.
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