Tom Leggett was part of the generation of transplanted musicians who created a new landscape in New Orleans during the latter part of the 1990s. Like so many of his peers he played in a lot of different configurations but was best-known for his work with Idletime before that band became one of the numerous casualties of the post-Katrina inundation.
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When Leggett returned to New Orleans he became a guitar for hire and is a regular member of Derrick Freeman’s band Smoker’s World but on his debut solo album Leggett shows himself to be a more than capable bandleader. His easygoing take on blues and roots rock translates to great songs played with casual conviction by a well-rehearsed and rhythmically sophisticated band that offers the perfect accompaniment to the material. Leggett’s versatility as a guitarist really shines, whether it’s on the rockabilly of the title track, the echo-drenched blues rock of “Angel On Your Shoulder,” the pop R&B of “Better Than the Last” or the country funk of “Running Away” and “Keep The Chaser.” Leggett’s voice is equally adaptable on a variety of loose limbed shaggy stories about life and love, drinking and playing music. He’s every bit as good as many of the better-known singer-songwriters working in New Orleans right now, so I’m guessing we’ll be hearing a lot more from him.
