Long circulating as a tape among hardcore fans, these 18 solo acoustic songs were recorded by Drake at home; most or all of them were probably laid down before he had ever entered a studio. The sound quality is fuzzy, but given how little Drake recorded before his death, and how absolutely no unreleased material exists other than the four CDs included on his Fruit Tree box set, this is a Holy Grail (or at least a silver goblet) of sorts for Drake fanatics. Most of the material is in a far more traditional acoustic folk and blues vein than his official releases, which show a big leap in both songwriting maturity and instrumental sophistication. Here Nick sounds much like very early (acoustic) Donovan, covering traditional folk songs, "Summertime," "Get Together," and early Dylan; his originals are often quite derivative of these influences (and several compositions credited to Drake on the liner notes are in fact covers, or extremely derivative of existing standards). The best cuts — "Winter Is Gone," "The Reason Of The Seasons," "To The Garden" — show the emergence of a more idiosyncratic talent. Minor complaints: four songs from the original tape are missing (two do appear on Fruit Tree), some entertaining between-song banter has been eliminated.
It's little wonder why Drake felt frustrated at the lack of commercial success his music initially gathered, considering the help he had on his debut record. Besides fine production from Joe Boyd and assistance from folks like Fairport Convention's Richard Thompson and his unrelated bass counterpart from Pentangle, Danny Thompson, Drake also recruited school friend Robert Kirby to create most of the just-right string and wind arrangements. His own performance itself steered a careful balance between too-easy accessibility and maudlin self-reflection, combining the best of both worlds while avoiding the pitfalls on either side. The result was a fantastic debut appearance, and if the cult of Drake consistently reads more into his work than is perhaps deserved, Five Leaves Left is still a most successful effort. Having grown out of the amiable but derivative styles captured on the long-circulating series of bootleg home recordings, Drake assays his tunes with just enough drama — world-weariness in the vocals, carefully paced playing, and more — to make it all work. His lyrics capture a subtle poetry of emotion, as on the pastoral semi-fantasia of "The Thoughts of Mary Jane," which his soft, articulate singing brings even more to the full. Sometimes he projects a little more clearly, as on the astonishing voice-and-strings combination "Way to Blue," while elsewhere he's not so clear, suggesting rather than outlining the mood. Understatement is the key to his songs and performances' general success, which makes the combination of his vocals and Rocky Dzidzornu's congas on "Three Hours" and the lovely "'Cello Song," to name two instances, so effective. Danny Thompson is the most regular side performer on the album, his bass work providing subtle heft while never standing in the way of the song — kudos well deserved for Boyd's production as well.