I'm one of those unrepentant products of the late 1960's who still have boxes of vinyl from that era. Somewhere in there with all the Sir Douglas Quintets and the Janis Joplins and the Jimi Hendrixes and the George Joneses are two of the earliest OKOM records, records that predate Jerry Jeff and Willie and Waylon and Guy Clark and Michael Murphy and Willis Alan Ramsey on the Austin scene by at least five years.

There had never been a "hippie" band like Mother Earth before, and most hard-rocking, spaced-out hippies didn't really get "Living With The Animals" or "Make A Joyful Noise," which combined elements of country, blues, rock, soul and gospel to form what truly was an Americana musical tapestry. Depending on how you view it, as a musical unit Mother Earth either stood out because or was overlooked because they were not "psychedelic." They had their cult-like following, but they also had a large number of listeners who said, "Boring!"

There is a fabulous two-page foldout black and white photograph on the inner sleeve of "Living With the Animals " taken at the height of the Flower Power era. The photo is posed in front of one of those typical rundown wooden ramshackle hippie havens and shows the big, communal, extended Mother Earth family - musicians, spouses, kids, dogs, cats - all gathered haphazardly on the front porch. The whole thing is the epitome of the late Sixties.

Tracy Nelson, who had already made a solo blues record in 1965 in Madison, Wisconsin, had, like many musicians, migrated to the red-hot music scene that sprang up in San Francisco. She eventually put together Mother Earth, with the core group being musicians from the Doug Sahm/Sir Douglas Quintet/Austin, Texas orbit. And what a bunch of talented musicians she gathered around her: guitarist John "Toad" Andrews, who would go on to a career in Nashville; Powell St. John, the raspy-voiced little Texan songwriting genius who penned several of the Thirteenth Floor Elevators anthems before he hooked up with Nelson; spacey violinist Spencer Pershkin, founder and guru of Shiva's Head Band, Austin's equivalent to the Grateful Dead; keyboardist extraordinaire Andy McMahon, and drummer George Rains. For side players she could count on the likes of Mike Bloomfield, Boz Skaggs, Barry Goldberg, Karl Himmel, Mark Naftalin, and Ben Keith.

Nelson, a spindly little straight-haired hippy girl, had a resonant and supple voice that made, for instance, Janis Joplin's, seem shrill and strained. Nelson's was a big, imposing, riveting voice and was certainly a voice that qualified her to be "the star" of the talented Mother Earth ensemble.

Over thirty years and twenty albums later, Tracy Nelson is still at it, still singing her mixture of blues, gospel and country. At age 55, her latest album, "Ebony & Irony," is as strong a work as she's ever done and it shows that her voice is as powerful and supple as it has ever been. This time around, she's chosen some great material to work with and is backed by talents equal to her own.

On her latest effort, Nelson is backed by none other than Nashville hotlicks guitar meister Mike Henderson and by George Bradfute and Bob Britt, no slouches themselves when it comes to stringed instruments. The ubiquitous Byron House is present on bass, and Reese Wynans handles the organ duties. She matches these excellent players with songs from some of Nashville's most prolific and successful writers: Gary Nicholson, Jim Lauderdale, Will Jennings (who wrote the theme for Titanic), and David Egan. She also includes a song from newcomer Alice Newman, the daughter of the woman who owned the farm that adjoins Nelson's outside Nashville. Nelson also co-wrote a rollicking good-time tune called "Got A New Truck" with Marcia Ball and does a riveting cover of Mose Allison's 'How Much Truth.'

The record begins with a slow, gospel-tinted blues love song, 'You Will Find Me There,' that allows Nelson to showcase her wonderful voice from the very beginning. The slow paced, laconic tune is played in a very understated fashion until Mr. Henderson takes a slide guitar solo on the break. While Henderson doesn't rush the solo or alter the tempo and feel of the track, his playing is absolutely magnetic and reminds us of some of Ry Cooder's snakiest work with Little Village.

'Strongest Weakness,' written by Nicholson and Bekka Bramlett, is a funky blues that Nelson decided to include two takes of on the album. The first take features a full blues band treatment and a large-scale Memphis type arrangement, complete with a horn track by the Memphis Horns, Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love. This take comes across as a jiving, roadhouse blues rocker. On the alternate take, Nelson works in a small ensemble setting and gives a more down-and-dirty, late-night straight blues performance. Henderson's prowess is spotlighted in all of its glory on the alternate take, as well as some funky organ playing by Jim Pugh, but it is Nelson's voice and presence that carry the day.

Nelson, who has been largely ignored by radio throughout her career, is getting quite a buzz on radio with her duet with Marcia Ball on 'Got a New Truck.' There is an infectious energy to the roadhouse arrangement, and the two ladies obviously are inspired by each other. Ball burns the keys up on her solo and Henderson contributes another mind-warping guitar solo. This is American blues rock the way it ought to be.

'Last Chance' is a ponderous, moving love song and is the type of vehicle that allows Nelson to use her vocal instrument to its full emotional range.

No Mose Allison composition is easily mastered, but Nelson gives a subtle performance of this off-kilter jazz piece. Wynans handles the difficult piano parts with fluidity and grace. This is one of those grab a highball and turn the lights down low performances that has to be listened to and savored for its subtlety and nuances.

The Nicholson/Lauderdale tune 'Still Not Out of the Woods' is reminiscent of Nelson's work with Mother Earth. It has a funky, danceable syncopation and a brassy, bold horn track. Drummer John Gardner holds the whole piece together and really swings the band when swinging is called for. Wynans organ is that mouse-scampering-across-the-keys sound that made Jimmie Smith famous.

Henderson takes the spotlight again on another low-down blues written by Nelson, 'I Must Be Crazy.' Nelson really shines as a torch singer in a small ensemble composed of quality players like these. Nelson carries the torch further and higher on 'Even Now.' Her ability to hold notes for extended periods and to give them a throaty waiver is demonstrated to full effect on this slow blues piece.

There is a funky Delbert McClinton roadhouse groove to 'Quicksand.' The tune was written by San Franciscan Terry Hanck, and Mr. Hanck plays some dynamite sax fills to round out the sound on this jumping, party-music piece.

In the long and detailed liner notes, Nelson informs listeners that the final track on "Ebony & Irony" was a "self-indulgence." Nelson remembered 'Silent Trail' from a Gene Autry movie she saw as a child. It was sung in the movie by Roy Rogers, at the time a member of the Sons of the Pioneers. Nelson further notes that this is the first time she used a fiddle on a record in about 30 years, but the understated style and performance by Andrea Zahn and the quiet accordion accompaniment by Steve Conn give this piece the authentic feel of what was once called "Western music" without any intention of being retro or campy. Ms. Nelson's vocal packs all the sentimentality that the old singing cowboy lyric requires.

Listening to 'Ebony & Irony," I marvel at how much has changed in the music world and the music business since Nelson recorded "Living With the Animals" in 1968 and yet how little her own style and preferences have changed. In my ears, just change the title and rewind the film in the camera and the tape in the recorder 30 years, and with "Ebony & Irony" we hear the next Mother Earth album that we've waited for all these years.

*Order "Ebony & Irony" now direct from www.tracynelson.com and get a free autographed poster. Is this a great country, or what?

Contact William Michael Smith at: wms-at-rockzilla.net

 
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