No Regrets is an album by the musician Leon Redbone, released in 1988. It followed a period where Redbone had concentrated on music for commercials. Redbone supported the album with a North American tour; he also appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. The album was reissued in 2004.
Contents
Production
Recorded in Nashville, the album was produced by Beryl Handler and Redbone. Béla Fleck played banjo on the album. Jerry Douglas contributed on pedal steel and dobro; Cindy Cashdollar played steel guitar on some tracks. "My Good Gal's Gone Blues" and "Somewhere Down Below the Dixon Line" were written by Jimmie Rodgers. "It's a Lonely World" is a version of the Ernest Tubb song; Tubb was one of Redbone's primary influences.
Critical reception
The Chicago Tribune wrote: "Employing a bluesy sound often reminiscent of primitive New Orleans jazz ... Redbone achieves an uncanny resemblance to the sound and spirit of country music's early recordings." The Washington Post concluded that "Redbone's a kind of cartoon persona with one of popular music's most eccentric voices: muzzy, slurred and entirely enjoyable if you get the joke." The Key West Citizen called the album "a stunning collection of classic country and jazz songs."
The Atlanta Journal praised the "smoothly delivered songs." The Austin American-Statesman stated that Redbone's "smooth, penetrating bass voice sparks renewed life into lost ditties." The Nanaimo Daily News noted that, "as usual, Redbone's bluesy and laidback and in fine form."
Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. of AllMusic wrote that, "while the songs and vocals are technically solid, they lack the spark that made earlier Redbone albums something special."
Personnel
Musicians
Leon Redbone – vocals, guitar
Roy Huskey Jr. – double bass (upright)
Brian Nalepka – double bass (upright)
Mark O'Connor – violin, viola, mandolin, mandola
Béla Fleck – banjo
Al Vescovo – pedal steel guitar
Jerry Douglas – pedal steel guitar, dobro
Cindy Cashdollar – lap steel guitar, dobro
Terry Waldo – piano
Bunky Keels – piano
John Gill – drums, tenor banjo
Lori Lynn Smith – vocal (track 11)
Technical
Beryl Handler, Leon Redbone – producers
Doug Epstein, Bil Vorn Dick – engineers, mixing engineers
John Gill – arrangements, music coordination
Jim Loyd – mastering engineer
Raymond Simone – cover design
Leon Redbone – cover concept
Dan Lamb – photography