Recorded prior to his November 2016 death,
On a Distant Shore
isn't a strict return to the chintzy, homemade digital productions
Leon Russell
specialized in prior to his 2010
Elton John
-assisted comeback
The Union
, but it's a far cry from the warmth of the 2014 solo affair
Life Journey
. With producer
Mark Lambert
,
Russell
favors a clean, crisp sound for
, one that is in the same ballpark as the endless albums he released in the 2000s. Coming after the burnished
and
, the brightness of
is a bit jarring, but it enhances the low-key California swing of "This Masquerade" -- a song happily in the vein of latter-day
Steely Dan
-- and can work well on a barrelhouse blues, too. When more elements are added into the production, like the backing band and synthesized orchestra on "Just Leaves and Grass,"
starts to wobble because it's clear it was done on the cheap. Consequently, the album doesn't feel as suitable a career capper as
, but as a coda it's not bad: it has a few worthy cuts and in its ungainly construction, it holds true to the weirdness of most of
's discography. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine