You know why I think he sounds so good? It’s because he loves to sing a song for you. But it’s not just that — he loves to sing a song.

It’s an as-plain-as-the-ear-can-hear-and-the-soul-can-feel thing. He gives it a whole bunch of honesty and genuineness, and it is what so much of beauty sounds like. There is just enough space, enough nuance, enough grace, enough flex in the tone, and then he drops in some courage to relax in the moments of, then set back and then step forward — kind of a gentle rocking.

Ever see the purity of a new mom totally in love with her child? A new father embracing their child with that safety hold… you know the hug. Parents loving their children hug them just that way. Leslie Odom Jr. hugs a song that way. That specialness is just for you, because he loves to sing it that special way for you, because he loves to sing a song.