Alan Leatherman
Detour Ahead
AJL Music
www.ajlmusic.com
By George W. Harris

Neo-soul singer Alan Leatherman brings a Y-generation attitude to a collection of standards, as he fronts a trio with Rick Germanson/p, Gerald Cannon/b and Steve Williams/dr. His voice has a woody quality that sounds like it’s had a few runs of a plane over it. A bit rough here, and a touch of facile smoothness there. With none of the glibness of a Buble’, Leatherman delivers earthy treatments of “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” and “Blame It On My Youth” that evoke less romance than irony. He’s got some dexterity, as he displays on snazzy take of “Parker’s Mood,” and actually sounds most at home on his own “No One Else” when he’s accompanied only by Germanon’s piano. Maybe a whole disc this vulnerable could be the next program.