In the early Seventies, Leon Russell was only a hit or two away from superstardom. He first gained notoriety as a session musician extraordinaire and later crafted an indelible image as the tophatted bandleader for Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs and Englishmen. He was likewise a standout performer at the 1971 Concert for Bangladesh with George Harrison.

But after a string of popular songs ("This Masquerade," "Delta Lady," "Tight Rope") and albums on his own Shelter label, Russell fell out of the firmament, found religion and wasn't heard from for more than a decade. His new album, Anything Can Happen, came about after Bruce Hornsby claimed Russell as his musical inspiration in an interview and Russell issued an invitation for them to collaborate.

The most obvious fault of Anything Can Happen, which was recorded at Russell's state-of-the-art digital studio in Nashville and coproduced by Hornsby, is a lack of distinctive songs. Only on the title track does Russell commit himself heart and throat to the material. Also, like much home-grown studio product, this album collapses due to the overuse of synthesizers and digital sampling, which is especially disappointing in light of Russell's legendary ability to generate chemistry with a wide range of musicians in the studio. Although Russell's voice is richer and less abrasive than the Okie twang and rasp most will remember, Anything Can Happen has little of the funk or firepower of the early work that very nearly made him a household name. (RS 631)

TOM GRAVES