Search - Tracy Nelson :: Essential Recordings: The Soul Sessions

A Bargain Chance To Hear An Overlooked Gem

James Morris | Jackson Heights, NY United States | 04/29/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The phrase, "Best of Rounder Records" which appears on the cover of this CD, is a misnomer, since these tracks are not, strictly speaking, from Ms. Nelson's Rounder Records sessions, which took place between 1993 and 1999. Rather, they are from her two Flying Fish albums, Homemade Songs (1978) and Come See About Me (1980) which Rounder happens to own the rights to. Nor are they necessarily the tracks that some fans would pick from those two albums, although I dare say that, in the eyes of her fans and many critics also, Tracy Nelson never recorded a bad track in her life, and I count myself among her most ardent admirers. Both albums are available on a single combo CD, also from Flying Fish (Rounder) but if you happen to just want to try Ms. Nelson out, well, you can't go wrong with just about anything she's ever released. As it stands, she is a tragically overlooked singer (in proportion to her talent), and although she has thousands of fans, she deserves millions more.



Not that any of that really matters. What matters is that this CD represents a bargain introduction to Ms. Nelson's incredible voice, which many of the uninitiated might not chance upon, if left only the option of some of her higher-priced albums. Depending on how you count, this is the 25th release in her long career, but only the second compilation album to be released under her name. A close friend and fellow fan recently mused that the release of this compilation may mean the withdrawal of the Homemade Songs/Come See About Me combo CD. I certainly hope not, for that would be a real shame.



Whatever you may think of the tracks offered on this CD, it will give you a good idea of what Tracy Nelson is all about. You see, Tracy Nelson has sung Rock and Roll, Blues, Country Western, Gospel and various combinations thereof, but one of the primary genres she has always concentrated her efforts on is Rhythm & Blues. Tracy Nelson is a Caucasian singer who loves African American music, and she pays homage to the sounds she loves most pretty much better than anyone else her shade could ever hope to. Although these are primarily R & B tunes, Tracy never, ever sounds like a white singer who is trying to sound black; rather she (and her band for that matter) always sound like exactly what they are: (mostly) white musicians who love the sound of R & B. Whatever form of music she dabbles in, the R & B style has permeated her recorded output almost since she made her first album at the age of 19, back in 1964.



More importantly, these tracks were recorded at the peak of her awesome power. Some may disagree and prefer other periods of her career, but I first came upon her music with the release of Homemade Songs. As such, some of these tracks hold a special magic for me, and memories of the time when I first fell in love with her incredible sound.



Six of the ten songs here are from the predominantly R & B release Come See About Me, but one of the most soulful selections is from Homemade Songs. God's Song, written by Randy Newman, was also recorded by Etta James, among others. Armed with a set of scaled-down lyrics from the Newman and James versions, Tracy unleashes the full power of her voice at the climax of this track in ways that will convince many a skeptic, for I know of few such powerful voices in the realm of popular music. The producers have also seen fit to include the original version of Walk Away, a song Tracy has recorded more than once, and now usually performs as the centerpiece of her live recitals.



I wanted to avoid a track-by-track analysis with this review and allow new fans to discover their favorites on their own. But I would be remiss if I did not mention Suddenly, a song I have heard Tracy perform live several times. It is one of my favorite Tracy Nelson performances, and with good reason. Again (as with many of Tracy's best recordings) the climax of this song unleashes the full throttle of her magnificent voice, and the results are something I find thrilling every time I hear it, even after 30 years. At the bargain price of this release, I promise you your money's worth of great music.



If you find you like this music a lot, head on over to Tracy's website, at [...] There's a message board there where Tracy frequently drops by to chat with fans and answer questions, for she has always been very much accessible to those who appreciate her music. I had the pleasure of seeing Tracy perform less than a month ago (April 3, 2009) in my home State, and I can attest to the fact that she has lost none of her great talent or wonderfully casual approach to her fans. She is a genuine original with awesome talent and a deeply warm person, and I hope she continues to make music for a long time to come. Highly recommended."

If you listen to me, you'll listen to Tracy

socrates17 | New Jersey/Tanelorn 2008/9 | 03/07/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must have seen Janis Joplin a dozen+ times in the late 60s - only once when she was backed by someone other than Big Brother. I far, far preferred Big Brother. (It is with some considerable sense of satisfaction that I see at least some other people now coming around to my point of view.)



No, I did not just have a senior moment (although I'm entitled to one.) If I saw Janis a dozen times in the 60s and loved HER - even to the extent of trying to like Southern Comfort (EWWWW) - I WORSHIPED Tracy. I was only fortunate enough to see Mother Earth once - opening for The Chambers Brothers at The Fillmore East New Year's Eve 1968.



She used to bring her band to the late, sadly lamented Lone Star Cafe and I was able to see her once at Trammps before they ditched the tables and turned it into a hellhole. Unlike with Janis, I preferred her solo bands.



Tracy (who didn't seem pleased to have been reminded of how long ago the Fillmore show was when I was trying to chat her up one time between sets in Trammps) was an idol. From the s.t. Reprise LP onward I bought everything upon release including the original twofor of the CD under discussion. Since I never got around to reviewing that CD, I sequenced it to follow this new "Digest" version for the purposes of listening for this review. (Actually, I still have the original LPs, but no turntable any more, alas....)



These are just fabulous. They may not be my favorite Tracy*, but they are really good Tracy and ANY Tracy is worth listening to more than once. They did a good job of selecting tracks. "She's Takin' My Part", "Come See About Me" and "Hold On, I'm Comin'" are all great.



Finally, I just LOVE that cover (which I guess is common to the series.)



*These would be the cited Prestige album (now only available as an expensive Japanese edition or third party vinyl) and the 2 MCA/LP, OneWay/CD releases Time is On My Side & Sweet Soul Music. Plus The Law of Conservation of Emotion makes it physically impossible to have too many versions of "Down So Low" which, as she is fond of reminding us, was chosed by Esquire Magazine to be "The Saddest Song Ever Written." You know what? Esquire is right. (Not on this CD, BTW.)"