Search - Tracy Nelson :: Live From Cell Block D

Missing Out On This CD Is A Crime!

Gregor von Kallahann | 07/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Devotees of singer Tracy Nelson (and I certainly number myself among them) have been waiting for years for an official 'live' release from this phenomenal artist. Tracy has released 21 albums prior to this release, all of which have their wonderful moments and some are downright clasics(including 2001's independently released EBONY & IRONY, as well as I FEEL SO GOOD, and MOVE ON from the 1990s (both on Rounder Records), and several re-releases from her early days in the 60s and 70s). It's all great stuff, but even folks who love her studio work have been known to come out of one her concerts utterly astonished. It's almost as though even the best studio settings cannot do this astonishingly powerful singer justice.I've always said that if I were a waiter in a club where Tracy Nelson was performing, I'd probably be fired before the night was through. Because I'd doubtless just stand there stock still, tray in hand and jaw dropped to my chest (if not the floor) in a state of complete awe.So at last, we have the live album that many of us have been awaiting for the last two decades or longer. It's probably a cliche to say that it was "worth the wait," but in fact, it was.
This release is the work of a mature artist, one still very much in control of her instrument, but also whose artistry and vision has only deepened over the years. She wrote her signature song, the classic "Down So Low" when she was in her early twenties--a remarkable feat for someone so young--but the version included on this recording seems to come from an even deeper place. She sings every song on this record with conviction and authority, but nowhere is it more evident than on "Down So Low" and on Memphis Slim's blues classic "Mother Earth"--both of which she recorded for the first time in 1968.Tracy has assembled a crackerjack band for this recording. She does not always work with a horn section, but when she does, the results are nearly always stellar. The horns give her that extra oomph and send her already soaring vocals into the stratosphere. And she has found a great setting and a more than enthusiastic audience in that Tennessee prison. This is an audience starved for music, and even if they had no idea who Tracy was beforehand, they respond eagerly and gratefully to what they soon realize is a truly first rate performance.The selection of material could not have been better. Aside from the two early classics mentioned above, there are new versions of songs from throughout Tracy's lengthy career. She opens with a "I Need All the Help I Can Get," originally recorded in the 90s for Rounder. It's a rousing opener and sets the tone nicely. She follows with a song that she has never actually released on record, although she has been known to perform it live before, Patsy Cline's classic "Walkin' After Midnight." Tracy is one of the few singer's who can take on a Patsy Cline number and successfully make it her own. (Eat your heart out, LeAnn and k.d.) So in the space of two songs, she demonstrates her astonishing range and versatility. She follows up with another new track, Lyle Lovett's "God Will," a song which fits her voice perfectly and which demonstrates that she did not leave all sense of irony back with the last record's "ebony."Her powerful r&b shouters never cease to astound, and stand up to repeated plays. But those repeated plays will also demonstrate the subtlety with which she approaches the ballads included here. Her phrasing on "God Will" and on "Tennessee Blues," first recorded in 1972 or '73, is controlled, disciplined and intelligently executed. She could teach a master class--provided she could find students worthy of her time.Tracks that will be more or less familiar to fans are given new life in their live versions. Songs like the recent "Got A New Truck" and 1974's "After The Fire Is Gone" were originally recorded as duets (and remarkable ones they were too; the former having been a joint effort with another great lady, Marcia Ball, and the latter a collaboration with the legendary Willie Nelson--who is, by the way, NO RELATION), and as good as the originals were, it's great to hear Tracy tackle them as solo numbers. Nearly all previously recorded tracks have been revamped in ways that fans will find interesting, if not illuminating. Nearly every review of Tracy Nelson's recorded work or of her live performances includes the observation that it's a downright shame that she is not better known. That's another cliche that's become hard to avoid when talking about this great singer. From everything I know about her, I don't think she particularly cares about reaching superstar status. She is first and foremost, an artist. But like many of her devoted fans, I still am eager to spread the word to as many receptive souls as possible. I figure it's doing them a favor."

Tracy Rocks The Jail House

James Morris | Jackson Heights, NY United States | 06/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When the hell is the public ever going to catch on to this woman? Most of the record stores I've visited have only had one or two copies in stock. That is an absolute sin. In her 35 year recording career, this is Tracy Nelson's 21st release - 22nd, if you count the Best of Tracy Nelson / Mother Earth - yet for some reason, she is not a household word. (Well, I could give you lots of reasons, but don't get me started). Established superstars (such as Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor, to name just a few) have praised her for years as "one of the best voices around" and "a singers singer". She has a powerful, expressive voice, demonstrating a talent that is almost superhuman, but inexplicably, she remains a secret. Her music is known only to music insiders, and a few lucky fans, who seem to number only in the thousands, instead of the millions she deserves.



For her first live album, recorded before inmates in the West Tennessee Detention Center, Tracy revisits two of her old standards from her first Mother Earth album - Down So Low (her self-penned theme song) and Mother Earth, a wonderful blues reflection on mortality written by Memphis Slim, from which her old band took their name. Esquire magazine once called Down So Low, "the saddest song ever written". Down So Low has been recorded by Linda Ronstadt, Etta James and Maria Muldaur (among others). It has never received a stronger treatment than it does here. Her legendary vocal prowess has only improved over the years, and her reputation as singing powerhouse is well supported by this release. This version of Down So Low compares quite favorably with the original, which she recorded in 1968, proving that she still has it. How many singers can re-record the same song after 35 years and sound better than ever doing it? I can't easily think of a single one.



The venue has an impressive effect on the selections. For anyone who has ever been to jail, or if you are a family member, or the loved one of a prisoner / ex-prisoner, some of these songs will take on a heartbreaking intimacy that is almost too personal to bear. When Tracy sings her theme song, Down So Low, suddenly, for me, it is no longer a song of unrequited love; instead I hear my own mother wailing in anguish at the first arrest of my older brother ("When you went away, I cried for so long...").



I have been privileged to hear Tracy live many times, the experience of which no record can ever fully convey - her voice is just too powerful. Before I even read the notes, I looked at the track listing and saw Tennessee Blues, and my first thought was, "I've never heard her do that live. That's an old one". Almost reflexively, I started to run the lyrics through my head, and a chill ran down my spine. "If I had my way, I'd leave here today, I'd leave in a hurry..." the song starts. Instantly, images of those inmates flooded my mind, smiles and maybe a few tears on their contented faces. All of a sudden, the identification they must have experienced with that lyric and the stark reality of their situation came pouring out of the words right at me, and the song took on a new, heartbreaking, yet comforting profundity. I can see those inmates in their drab uniforms (no matter what color, prison garb is drab), nodding their heads and agreeing 1000% with the sentiment behind the song. "A place I could use... a place I could lose those Tennessee Blues". Wow. Tennessee Prison. Tennessee Blues.



Tracy doesn't stop there. She has finally committed to record her version of Walkin' After Midnight, made famous by the late Patsy Cline. Tracy's rendition owes nothing to Patsy; as few singers can, she manages to make it her own without dredging up comparison to Patsy, or detracting at all from the memory of the original.



She also revisits some of her best stuff with new verve, including her self-penned (with assistance from Marcia Ball) Got A New Truck (a song I confess I loathed until this reading - but I'm not into autos) and a solo version of the duet for which she and Willie Nelson received a Grammy for Best Country Duo in 1974, After The Fire Is Gone. She has lost none of her incredible voice, and seems to improve with age, like fine marijuana.



Added to this wonderful mix of Blues, R & B and Country (and ALL her albums are a wonderful mix of Blues, R & B and Country, with just a smidge of Country-Blues influenced Rock to round it all out) is a thoroughly original arrangement / cover of Lyle Lovett's lyrically ironic God Will, which may just be the most understated and effective track on the whole album, since it suits her style perfectly and offers her fans choice to add to their list of favorite Tracy Nelson tunes.



Since acquiring my copy last week, I have played this album no less than two dozen times. It gets fresher and more creative with each listen. If you are familiar with Tracy at all, you will not hesitate to acquire this release. If you're not, I can think of few better introductions to her craft - notably her 1969 classic Country album (Mother Earth Presents Tracy Nelson Country - Mercury Records - available on a Reprise CD) or her 1978 masterpiece Homemade Songs (Flying Fish Records - available on a CD also containing her complete second Flying Fish issue, Come See About Me). Try her out soon - you will not be sorry. Submitted June 22, 2003."

Live From Cell Block D

A Movie Fan | Long Beach, CA United States | 06/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First of all - let's get one thing straight. Tracy Nelson can do no wrong. That said, this is an incredible live album, which was a long time in coming.I'm sure jokes will be told about singing to a 'captive' audience, but it takes a true talent to be able to get away with singing a song in a jail entitled "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair".Other highlights are her own "Down So Low" "Tennessee Blues" and "After the Fire is Gone". Actually, as is true of every Tracy Nelson album, there is not a bad song in the bunch. Listen to "God Will" or "Mother Earth" and try not to be moved.Bottom line, buy this CD - you won't be sorry. And while you're at it, spread the word. Forget about all the flavors of the month - Tracy Nelson is a force to be reckoned with."