5 comments about King of the Highway.

1. Norton Buffalo continues to amaze with his harmonica playing and this modern, west-coast take on the blues. If you are not familiar with his talent, buy his late 70's albums (available on cd) along with this one and just listen to his harmonica flow and flame...truly one of a kind.



2. Norton Buffalo is one of those musicians that just about everybody has heard and that just about nobody has heard of. He's been the harmonica player for Bonnie Raitt, Bette Midler, Steve Miller and a host of others. Contented to stay in the shadows while others stand in the spotlight, Buffalo has chosen to step into the limelight again.

   Buffalo has chosen to do an album of rockin' Blues and surrounds himself with some top-notch players as well as guest musicians Steve Miller, Elvin Bishop and Merl Saunders. Every song on the CD is solid, featuring some amazing harp playing by Buffalo. It is almost shameful that this album hasn't gotten more airplay, while lesser lights get played to death.

   If you're an aspiring harmonica player, it would be in your best interest to get a copy of this CD to here what the instrument can sound like in the hands of a master.




3. Norton Buffalo is and has been one of the most outstanding Harp players of our time.

   It's about time he came out with his own solo CD! I have been long time fan of Norton since his Steve Miller days. not that he cant hold his own just about any kind of music he can! He realy shows how good he is on the Harp when it comes to Blues! This is long time wait for me and It's now here I hope to see much more from him he is just to good to keep down!

   Keep on Harping the Blues Norten!!!




4. i was a bit concerned when the liner notes told me i wasn't going to hear any "dirty" amplified harp, exactly what i love, but you don't miss that with norton blowing. his playing is so fully nuanced and textured that a mic might even have distorted some of those wonderful tones. and while you won't find any lowdown swamp boogie here, or delta grinders, or led zep rockers, you will find plenty of smoky lounge crawlers and freeway accelerators with smoldering guitar if that's your taste. in fact norton is a master of styles and playing modes, sounding now like the harmonicats, then like larry adler, and all with a rocking, bluesy feel. he sings almost as well as he plays, too. anybody catch his playing in the movie "the dog pound shuffle" some years back, where norton does the harp work for a canadian drifter played by david soul? beautiful stuff.



5. Norton Buffalo's first solo project since the late 70's "King of the Highway" focuses on his blues side.

   But this is not a derivative Chicago blues harp album or pre-war country blues (not that there's anything wrong with those genres), this is Norton's unique brand of blues: down-home but modern, soulfull, melodic, swinging and fun.

   There's lots of virtuoso harmonica playing (all unamplified) and good songs, originals all but one.

   Hope we don't have to wait another 20 years for the next Norton Buffalo album.

5 comments about Mo Thugs Family Scriptures.

1. i never liked the family scriptures cd but i love the reunion album motherships good an the movement is good i dunno scriptures is to like girly an soft ecspecially with the time it came out which was in between east 99 and art of war when bone was comin the hardest i dunno i cant stand a cd that has a bunch of songs by girl groups on it..eriously girl groups an girl rappers. mo thugs 2 is so much better



2. This cd is a solid colaberation of bone thugs ~N~ Harmony and their apprentices "Mo'Thugs". they put a rapid fire flow with slow off the hook beats. the best song on the album is "thug devotion" it shows the lyrical talent of not only krayzie and layzie, but also Ken Dawg and all of the mo'thug family. I highly recomend this album to any bone fan. MO'THUGS 4 EVA!



3. This is the 2nd best Mo Thugs album (in my opinion), behind "IV: The Movement". My favourie tracks are "Searchin' For Peace", "Ghetto Bluez", "Mo' Murder", "Ain't No Reason", "Welcome To My World", "Thug Devotion", "Playa In Me", "No Pretender", "Rumours & War", "II Tru", "Low Down" & "Family Scriptures".



4. This is the best mo thug cd ever.i dont think they will get this good again. best tracks 2,3,4,5,8,9,12,13,14,15,and 16.



5. THIS IS THE BONE OF THE CREW. LAYZIE IS MY ALL TIME FAVORITE. HE IS CRAZY AS I DON'T KNOW WHAT. I LOVE THE SONG ON RESURRECTION TITLED "DON'T WORRY!" THE LAST PART OF THAT SONG WAS BY HIM. THE LAST WORDS WERE, " IF YOU'RE A SOLDIER AND YOU KNOW IT, HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH; AND KEEP STOMPIN' IN YOUR BIG BLACK BOOTS AND DON'T WORRY!" THAT WAS AN INSPIRATION TO ME. I LOVE THAT PART. LAYZIE BONE IS THE BONE OF ALL TRADES. I'M TELLING YOU. THIS IS THE ARTIST, FOR REAL!!!!

3 comments about Blind Pig Records: 20th Anniversary Collection.

1. Like with Alligator, you can't go wrong with the Blind Pig anniversary sets. This 2 cd-set jams all the way through. While some may not agree with every song selection, I think they did a great job of presenting a historical overview of their artists while presenting current songs also. A good set that blues lovers will want to own.



2. This is a great introduction to the works of many important blues artists currently recording on the #2 blues label in the business at the present. It is a terrific value for a double cd containing 140 minutes of music and 36 tracks, costing less than $....

   Disk 1 has some really excellent artists and songs. My favorites were by Coco Montoya (nice wailing, screaming guitars similar to Tinsley Ellis), Magic Slim and the Teardrops (ratchets Chicago blues up a notch for extra loudness and impact - great band live), John Lee Hooker (a slow, mournful accoustic version of Terraplane Blues), Joanna Connor (Very loud, aggressive yet precise slide playing, with excellent vocals. Joanna is the best female guitarist on the planet - she makes Tedeschi and Curfman sound like frightened children learning to play guitar), outstanding harp playing by James Cotton and the greatest blues guitarist ever, Luther Allison (although his Alligator Records recordings are superior. Actually, many of these artists have also recorded on Alligator, including James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Big Walter Horton, Carey Bell, Junior Wells, and Pinetop Perkins). I was a bit disappointed by Jimmy Thackery and the Drivers' hit "Drive to Survive" as it wasn't really blues, but classic Southern rock and not as exciting as all the rave reviews claimed. The two tracks by the Gospel Hummingbirds and E.C. Scott were poor and designed for the NEXT TRACK button on the remote.

   The second disk is really the B-side collection, both of Blind Pig's artists and their songs. Most of these songs are only moderately interesting blues numbers and they tend to blend in together unnoticeably in the background. The first track, by Studebaker John and The Hawks, was a good, hard edged boogie. The best song on the whole disk was the second, My Heart Bleeds Blue, by Deborah Coleman, featuring a great tune and extremely skilled and emotional guitar playing; I will definitely buy several of her CD's. I don't usually like Charlie Musselwhite (I find his voice too deep and dull) but surprisingly, I really enjoyed his Harpin' On A Riff. Preacher Boy's I Won't Be There was pretty interesting - sort of a combination of accoustic John Lee Hooker and R.L. Burnside with a stranger voice). I honestly can't remember any of songs 9-17(despite listening to the disk half a dozen times) and while a few of those songs were by well known blues musicians such as Eddy Clearwater and Big Walter Horton, the relative anonymity of the remaing artists is not likely to change, judging by their relatively tame, low keyed styles. Commander Cody's Let's Rock was quite a decent blues rocker and finished off the second disk on a high note.

   I would recommend this disk because there are bound to be at least a handful of tracks here that will satisfy any blues fan regardless of the style of blues he or she prefers. I'm also betting that most purchasers of this disk will buy at least a couple of the albums from which the songs on this compilation were pulled (assuming they don't already own them). If you had to buy just one compilation CD, I would recommend either Alligator's 20th Anniversary or 25th Anniversary Collections over this one, as they are both more consistently enjoyable with very few fillers. I would rate this collection about even with Alligator's recent 30th Anniversary Collection, which is a slight downslide from the previous collections. Even so, this is a very solid double disk and I don't think many blues fans will have any regrets in purchasing this one.




3. Outstanding blues cd. The only anamoly, in my opinion, is "Howlin' At The Moon," by Debbie Davies. Her voice, at least on this recording, is very weak in contrast to the music. Other than that, this is one of my favorite cd's and I highly recommend it.

2 comments about Videography.

1. when i read videography and saw a list of songs i got very excited. finally whole concert performances of classics like RHIANNON or GO YOUR OWN WAY? no just a textbook dull reading of the everchanging and revolving door ways of this up and down group. the men interviewed are scholarly english types who blather on in their praise and knowledge but its of stuff most mac fans know. when they finally get to the part where stevie and lindsey joined the group its a rush thru with just choppy clips of some performances interrupted by yet more observations. i was disappointed.



2. I waited for this about a month when I ordered this from AMAZON and I am so disappointed. If you wanted to know about Fleetwood Mac -the early years-it's okay ,but with Buckingham-Nicks not worth it. Not even a full video of them and I am really disgusted with this dvd. The book that comes with it has alot of great words about the past songs if only the dvd would have had some or most of the songs discussed in the book, it would have been worth waiting for.

No comments about The Complete Syl Johnson on Hi Records.

5 comments about No Rules.

1. It is just not what I would call Country. I loved it anyways. :)
   
   It is jazz.
   
   I thought she sounded a little like Tina Turner in some of the songs.
   
   I have seen her at the Grand Ole Opry a few times and I live here in Nashville, Tennessee.



2. To be honest, I had no preconceived ideas of this artist's work. In fact I had never heard her sing before. But this woman's voice is an amazing instrument soaring over 3 octaves managing rocking blues, ballads, and barroom boogie. I'm not sure what came before, but I suspect she was overly produced in a mainstream country fashion. I'll have to check it out. Now she's seemingly come into her own as an independent artist, and she positively shines on this recording. She owns "Do Right Woman - Do Right Man" and I think even Aretha would give her props. No easy task. This is worth a listen. I'd buy a ticket to see her live in an instant.



3. I don't know why Rebecca Lynn Howard doesn't make an album that showcases her beautiful voice. It was torture to listen to this CD. I was so looking forward to new product from her. She sounds shrill and screechy with wild music. She should listen to her song "Forgive" or her duet with Ronnie Dunn on the Livin' Loving and Losing CD to see what people want to hear from her.



4. I'm sorry....I expected something so much better from someone who has such amazing talent! This girl has proven she can sing but the songs she chose for this album are horrific and do nothing for her voice! I'm sticking Forgive back in the cd player!



5. Prime Cuts: The Life of the Dollar, What Dying Feels Like, As One as Two Can Be
   
   Without the rules often imposed by major recording companies on their artists, Rebecca Lynn Howard on her new independently released CD lets her hair down and ushers her most honest effort to date. Previously when this singer-songwriter was under the auspices of MCA Records, her two major outing were cookie-cutter Nashville pop-country excursions leaving something more to be desired. Six years later, teaming up Michael Curtis, to release a CD that Nashville would not release. For starters, these 14 songs were recorded in Muscle Shores Alabama, which should is a dead giveaway to the direction of this disc. Hardcore funk and swamp blues with some sensibilities to country earmarked this release: evidence most prominently by its 4 covers which include songs garnered from the repertoire of Al Jarreau, the Temptations and Aretha Franklin. Nevertheless, the cynosure is Howard's vocals--she has never sounded more confident often allowing herself to give in to the soulful tenor of the songs with a refreshingly spiritual abandonment.
   
   The highlights are aplenty, most affecting being the single "What Dying Feels Like." A gorgeous piano-led ballad with some echoes of Bonnie Riatt's "I Can't Make You Love Me," Howard subtlety understated delivery shows her mastery over this musical piece of heartbreak wringing out every ounce of emotion. When love turns out right on the gospel-pop ballad "As One as Two Can Be," Howard's delivery is transcendently divine. She ups the ante in the creativity department with the engaging story song "The Life of the Dollar." With flurries of some delightful fiddling, Howard acts as our tour guide chronicling the odyssey of the dollar note from the pockets of a preacher to the banker to a bum on the street told with Kodak-like perspicuity. Similar picturesque is one of the album's most rustic moments "I'm Over You," a track that begs for a great video and perhaps an offering country radio would embrace.
   
   Howard does step out of her country box into some swaggering blues with her self-composed "New Twist on an Old Groove." Propelled by a funky upright bass line and some smoky horns in the backdrop, Howard spits and struts with brazen sensual appeal on this song that calls for fresh moves to a moldy relationship. She takes on the Temptations' "Shakey Ground" head-on with some Motown funk without giving in to carbon copying the original when Howard adds her own southern charm to the mix. Less convincing is her take on Aretha Franklin's "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man." Vocally Howard does not have the grit and shaft of insights as the Queen of Soul. Quite pointless though is the self-professing "Sisters of Soul."
   
   "No Rules" breaks all the hedges placed around all Nashville CDs. Howard risk-taking creativity adds flavor, texture and color to this entire effort. This CD is a reason to avoid imposing a moratorium on the very tired country genre. Though "No Rules" may not make Howard a country radio darling, but it's a career record that she ought to be proud of in years to come.

4 comments about Tangled Up In Blues: Songs Of Bob Dylan - This Ain't No Tribute.

1. This CD never fails to satisfy me. Taj's opener, "It Takes a Lot to Laugh.." is rock solid. But when I first heard Mavis Staples version of "Gotta Serve Somebody", I had to listen to it over and over again. An incredible roster of musical luminaries have covered Bobby D. - Hendrix, Ferry, and all these great blues artists, to name a few. But let's not forget that behind almost every great cover, there's a great original. Bobby D. has served us well.



2. As a person who is a huge fan of Dylan's songs but really dislikes his vocals, I have searched long and hard for a tribute album that I liked. Ironically, I found it in this "ain't no tribute" album. These are GREAT interpretations of the songs of Dylan. My only complaint was that there weren't more songs; a two-CD set would have been sweet. Otherwise, great.



3. this compilation has almost no weak spots. every tune is unique and surprising.. I especially liked the rendition of "Lay Lady Lay" It is haunting and seductive. I can't help but think that if Dylan ever listens to this disk, he'd like it.



4. This is a CD that I will listen to for a long time. Just as you're listening to the end of one song and regretting that it's over, another starts filling the room and you're filled with joy at the prospect of 3 or 4 minutes more of outstanding sound, sound you can see and feel.

5 comments about Tracy Nelson Country.

1. I am a great fan of Tracy Nelson, and have often thought that if she
   would ever record a country album, it would be one of the best. This
   album is a complete disappointment, with the sole exception of "So Lone-
   some I Could Die." Even Tracy is allowed a mistake every now and then,
   and this is a major one.



2. Tracy Nelson is a marvelous performer but this recording is a dud. Sounds like the idea was to sell Tracy Nelson to the polyester Country Music market of the late sixties. I've got a dozen of her cds and this is the only one I've been disappointed with.



3. I bought this when it was first released on LP. I still play it regularly(cd),still love it,and still don`t understand why she never made another like it.
   My opinion is that Tracy would have been huge in country music.She certainly has the voice for it.
   Great songs,great musicians.
   The bonus numbers were`nt needed asthey didn`t fit in with the rest of the cd.My opinion only.Buy this if you like real country.Not the stuff you hear on radio(Reba,Martina,Faith,etc).
   This is the real deal



4. By Tracy Nelson's own account, this album was something of a happy accident. Her band, Mother Earth, had recorded their second album MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE in Nashville. They had studio time left over and had made contact with Scotty Moore and other Nashville studio vets. Somehow the idea of Tracy doing a solo project, in collaboration with these C&W stalwarts--gained momentum, and what Tracy has sometimes (maybe a bit disingenuously) referred to as a "lark" wound up being a masterpiece.
   
   This was actually Tracy's second solo album, her first being the acoustic blues record (DEEP ARE THE ROOTS) she recorded for Prestige Records at the tender age of 19. In a way, it makes sense that her initial solo work was genre-specific--and more root oriented than her work with the band might be. (Although in her work with Mother Earth, she was hardly straying too far from the rootsy side of the tracks either. What late 60s San Fran experimentalism that band may have exhibited was mainly the work of Powell St. John, the group's male lead singer and songwriter.)
   
   But here was this little hippie gal from San Francisco recording with the creme de la creme of Nashville and apparently getting along just fine and dandy with them and making a great great country record in the process. Ah, when worlds collide...Except maybe it wasn't quite as strange a mix as all that. Tracy was never all that comfortable in San Francisco, and shortly after her two Nashville produced records were completed, decided to move to Tennessee herself (where she remains to this day).
   
   While it's doubtful that Tracy and some of her collaborators on this record would have agreed on every socio-political concern coming down the pike in 1969, they certainly clicked musically, and hey, gang, isn't bridging cultural differences one of those things that music does best? (I know, I know...Oh, please!), but you know, if you don't get too dippy about it, that sentiment is kind of true.
   
   I mean, it's less a matter of "Music is the universal language and love is the key..." than "Music is a shared heritage and respect for each other's talent is the key..."
   
   Of course, when a young, fiercely independent woman singer from the wild and wooly West Coast tackles a (then) contemporary C&W classic like "Stand by Your Man," there has to be a certain irony inherent in the track, I guess. And there is, but it IS not a joke. As with every track on the album, Tracy sings this oft-parodied song straightforwardly and with great dignity. In fact, the very stateliness of her vocal suggests a pride and inner strength on the part of the singer that belies what some have described as the "doormat" message of the lyrics.
   
   Tracy had already established a reputation for herself as one of the strongest women singers in late 60s rock music (actually, I would maintain that she was THE strongest female singer of the era, although Joplin devotees might consider that position heresy). She could pull out all the stops and then some, as she had proven on tracks like "Mother Earth" and "I Need Your Love So Bad," and her signature song "Down So Low." I recall being surprised at how UNDERSTATED her vocals were on this album. Yes, I loved them from the outset, but I recall being a little surprised that she didn't find a few moments to exhibit some of her patented soulful belting.
   
   I remember clearly how, when I saw that the track listing included "I'm So Lonesom I Could Cry" and that it was the LAST song (on the original vinyl release), I figured that that was going to be one with the powerhouse ending. After all, the only other version I knew of at the time was B.J. Thomas's single from a few years before, and HE went for the big socko-boffo ending. Surely Tracy would do the same but better.
   
   But no, the performance was simple and straightforward as all the other classic tracks on this record. I was stunned. Why did this powerful singer hold back? Well, it took me a little while, but eventually I came to realized that her unadorned vocal on this track (as on all the others) cut to the heart of the song's lyric in a way that the full throated treatment she was certainly capable of never could have. Quite simply, Tracy knew when to hold back.
   
   And that--along with the consummate musicianship of her collaborators--is what made this record great.



5. In 1969, Tracy Nelson was the 24 year-old leader of a band called Mother Earth, a group of eclectic musicians of varying genres and temperaments. Unlike many San Francisco-based white urban bands of the 1960's, Mother Earth played "rock and roll" only in the loosest sense of the term. Their style, fused by Tracy's vision, embraced traditional Blues, Rhythm and Blues, Country Rock and New Orleans style soul. Not surprisingly, they drove their promoters crazy, and their record label, Mercury, never quite figured out how to market their sound. Nevertheless, their first album was a modest commercial and critical success, and pushed the band (initially at least) to the forefront of the burgeoning rock and roll market. Their first effort, Living With the Animals, presented a number of pure blues tunes (Mother Earth took their name from the title of a song by blues great Memphis Slim) which somehow led the label to believe (and hope) that they had another Janis Joplin on their hands. After all, for their premiere album, Tracy had uncorked her self-penned torch number, Down So Low, a paean to lost love and heartache that was not too far stylistically from the vocal beseeching of Joplin's best-known songs. But the band traveled to Nashville in 1969 for their second album, Make a Joyful Noise and, much to the consternation of the label's management, they recruited a number of country giants, including famed fiddle player Johnny Gimble and Nashville session wiz Pete Drake to back their second album. They also hired the Jordanairres, the famous vocal backup group to Elvis Presley and Patsy Cline, which made the label wonder if the group's producer, Travis Rivers, had lost his mind. Despite the presence of some of country's most skilled musicians, Make a Joyful Noise again emphasized a sound that was more Rhythm and Blues than Country, (or Rock and Roll, for that matter) and the second Mother Earth album went on to achieve an even higher level of critical recognition and commercial success than their first album.
   
   After finishing their second album in record time, the band continued to linger in the Nashville area, and Tracy established a friendship with several of the Nashville session men who'd played on Make a Joyful Noise. Because the second album had proceeded so smoothly, they found themselves stuck with extra studio time, and several top-notch musicians who were between other assignments. When somebody suggested that they record an album of country standards, spotlighting the amazing vocal talents of Tracy Nelson, she was reluctant to go for it. Tracy considered herself the lead singer of a Rhythm and Blues band, and had no desire to suddenly undertake a "country" identity. Her objections proved prophetic, for although she never again made an album of pure country, the label of country singer has followed her name ever since. To emphasize the fact that this was all Tracy (the first two Mother Earth albums had each included lead vocals by other band members) the proposed album was to be titled "Mother Earth Presents Tracy Nelson Country". All in all, quite a change for her and the band.
   
   The addition of two of Elvis Presley's top sidemen, guitarist Scotty Moore and drummer D. J. Fontana, convinced Tracy to relent, and she and her band took to the recording studio with some of the finest country session men then working in Nashville. When the album was finished, Mercury released it to a fairly cool commercial reception, and Tracy and Mother Earth made another four albums before the band broke up. Tracy continued to make records under her own name, usually employing several ex members of Mother Earth, and at this writing, she has released a total of 23 albums, including those released with Mother Earth. Long in demand for session work, she has also appeared as guest background, duet or lead vocalist on at least two dozen more albums by various other artists.
   
   But, back to "Country".
   
   Although "Mother Earth Presents Tracy Nelson Country" failed to make much of a splash when first released, the album has been a favorite of Tracy's fans throughout her forty year career. I first heard "Country" in 1977, when I became acquainted with her music, and it immediately rose to the position of my favorite album made under her name. I am apparently not alone; long available only through rare record dealers at very high collector's prices, many fans have elevated this album through word-of-mouth to the status of "legendary". I finally got my own copy in 1985 from a rare record dealer in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, who assured me that the used copy I purchased was a bargain at $35. I would have gladly paid more; for years I had only a taped copy that a friend had made, and I often noticed that Mother Earth's first two albums, long out-of-print, were selling for upwards of $125 each at NY's most famous rare record dealer, Colony Records on Broadway and 49th street.
   
   So what makes Mother Earth Presents Tracy Nelson so special? One listen will answer that question, but let me point out just a few of my favorite highlights.
   
   The album opens with an original song, Sad Situation, as finely crafted a torch ballad as has been ever been offered by anyone. "Yes, I've known others like you with a heart made of stone" Tracy wails, "and by now I guess I should be used to living alone..." Her heartache is punctuated by the smooth vocals of the Jordanaires, and for just a moment you think you're listening to Patsy Cline, come back to life again. "It's a sad situation, not just because I'm so blue. It's a sad situation..." there is a pause, and you could swear you hear a sob, "...'cause I'm still loving you". Almost like a female Ray Charles, Tracy's voice is more soulful than we're used to hearing on a country song, and, I dare say, more powerful than many other vocalists renowned for their power. It's just the first track, and she has managed a highly impressive start.
   
   Following the opening track are ten more classic country songs, covering material associated with Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Boz Scaggs, Hank Williams and others. Like any great singer, Tracy neither invites comparison to the originals nor makes you long to hear them. Hers are truly fresh approaches to each song that somehow manage to enhance your fondness of the originals, rather than invoke their memory. Her version of Stand By Your Man, easily my favorite track, is a showcase for her powerful voice, and you realize as you listen that, Tammy Wynette's original version aside, Tracy makes you wonder why this song was never recorded by Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald or any of a handful of other divas noted for their vocal power. Tracy ranks with the best of them, and this album proves it. She does well on the ballads, but Tracy is equally at home with the fast stuff, and her renditions of Blue Blue Day and Why, Why, Why will have you snapping your fingers and tapping your toes. Her achingly beautiful, hauntingly slow rendition of Hank Williams's poetic masterpiece I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry was a satisfying finale to the 11 tracks that made up the original vinyl.
   
   But the CD contains three bonus tracks; the first is a previously unreleased alternate take of I Wanna Be Your Mama Again, from the second Mother Earth LP, Make a Joyful Noise. While I'm always glad to hear fresh Tracy, it can't quite compare with the released master take, which happens to be my favorite track from the original Make a Joyful Noise.
   
   When "Country" was first re-released to CD in 1996, Mercury had no plans to release Mother Earth's premiere albums, Living With the Animals or Make a Joyful Noise, and so they included three tracks from Make a Joyful Noise to supplement the "Best of Tracy Nelson and Mother Earth" CD that was released concurrently. Happily, both Living With the Animals and Make a Joyful Noise were finally reissued on CD by Wounded Bird Records in 2004, followed by the remaining classic Mother Earth albums. At this writing, all but two of Tracy Nelson's 23 albums are available on CD. After you get Mother Earth Presents Tracy Nelson Country and it leaves you hungry for more Tracy (as I can almost guarantee it will) you might want to check out some of her other albums next. After "Country", my personal favorites are Homemade Songs, originally released in 1978, and Move On, her third effort for Rounder Records, recorded in 1993. Other fans have their own preferences, but the woman never made a bad album in her life, and I never hesitate for a moment to recommend that music lovers of discerning tastes acquire any one of her fine albums.

3 comments about In the Storm.

1. I wish this CD had been given its just due. It was one of the most sensual from El Debarge, so much that he asked God for forgiveness for being over the top in the liner notes. Love it!



2. This album was very underrated. It was a brilliant collection of songs to show El's diversity and creativity.



3. this Album brought El Debarge&Maurice White together&Others on board."After the Dance" with 4 play&Patti Labelle Singing with El are showcased.this is a tight Marvin Gaye cover."You know what I Like" with Chante Moore is catchy.El showcases His Many Talents as a Writer,producer,arranger&Instrumentalist here.there is a Strong Marvin Gaye feel along with a 70's vibe.some interesting Cuts here.

5 comments about JP.

1. This CD is off the chain, this cd is an orignal. In my opinion NOBODY is on Jesse's level of vocals....This Is Real Music!!



2. Jesse Powell is from my hometown. I remember him performing for local shows, which developed a local following. This cd is no exception. His voice is one that reminds you of what R&B singing should be. His voice is like that of lead singer of "Enchantment". (He also does a great cover of "Gloria & It's You That I Need". This cd is great music with a great singer.



3. Jesse Powell is and always will be one of the most underrated singers in R&B.The inherent irony of JP is that although R&B crooner Jesse Powell presents himself as a mack daddy of the first order--complete with invitations to disrobe and offers of extreme carnal satisfaction--you know there's something more to the story. There's a disarming airiness to Powell's voice and delivery that's ingratiating enough to suggest more depth to his persona than he's willing to admit. Unlike dyed-in-the-wool lotharios like R. Kelly, whose love-'em-and-leave-'em ways are in little doubt, Powell sounds like the type whose big talk might just hide a nice guy with more on his mind than jumping in the sack. In any case, the slow-jam arrangements, vintage analog synths, and hip-hop beats are crafted to please any fan of contemporary R&B, whether one takes Powell at face value or not. Stand out tracks include the sentimental It'lll Take The World,Take My Breath Away and the baby makers Go Upstaris and After We Make Love. Mr Powell also really shines on his cover of Something In The Past.



4. It's one of the best singer that I had ever heard before, the songs are so SWEET and BEAUTIFUL!!
   I can't believe that, it's just.....AMAZING!!
   Take it and... chuut... LISTEN!!
   ;-)



5. JP is a great following to his 2nd Album "Bout It". Great Vocals, Great Lyrics, Great Production for a Great Artist. Can't wait for the next album.