ENOUGH ROPE (Siren Sounds) • Jonell Mosser
Like half the population of Nashville, I've been a huge fan of Jonell Mosser for over a decade, and we damn well wanna know why she's not world famous yet. Hot as a pistol, this petite red haired powerhouse has been the undisputed queen of R&B in Music City for far too long not to have broken out nationally. Until now, there had never been a definitive Jonell Mosser record. There was a CD produced by Don Was in the 90s that got shelved, and what I'd call a good Woodstock record, co-written with John and Johanna Hall, and produced by John. (Hall also co-produced with George Massenburg one track on this record, "Mama's Dream," which to my ears sounds out of place on this disc.) There was also a noteworthy Townes Van Zandt tribute CD.
The rest of Enough Rope was co-produced by Jonell and longtime musical partner Tom Britt. Tom and Bob Britt are two notorious guitar slingers in this guitar town. Tom's been on the road with Vince Gill, Bob with the Dixie Chicks, that ought to give you an idea how respected they are here. Whenever Jonell is tearing down the house, one or both of the Britt Brothers is always the point man. My favorite gigs are when both brothers play, like left and right hands of some great guitarist we've never seen.
Dana Cooper's fabulous song about Townes Van Zandt, "Boney Man," gets a terrific read on this album, as does Nick Lowe's classic "When I Write The Book." Jonell is such a riveting live performer—it's difficult to bottle that kind of energy in a studio recording. But she and Tom Britt have made a great record here, and I hope her fame will spread 'round the country and beyond. Many singers try, but Jonell Mosser do. • FG
