Review of A Poem Is a Naked Person (1974) by Douglas C — 05 Jul 2015

Revolutionary in both concept and execution, Les Blank's inside view into the surreal mind and virtuoso musical abilities of renowned but later obscured sideman and fronting bluesman Leon Russell is a blend of straight-up concert film assembly and rough-around-the-edges frenetic energy that paints a tidy portrait of the artist as a man of his time and unique space.

Blank takes an approach that is consistent with his past works and features a good dose of Russell and his comrades rambling existentially about love, life, and philosophy. For those uninitiated, it may prove vexing at times, but die hard fans of Blues and Americana/Roots music as well as pop and rock ballads will find plenty to enjoy here in both the quieter moments and the nicely shot and edited concert scenes that bring you right into Russell's orbit.