Customer Reviews

Around Townes

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This cd is really emotional. Jonell in concert is unbelievable and the cd matches her energy on stage. She is hard driving and soulful with a most unique voice - in a good way! This is great music to cook some spicy food to and entertain an new aquaintance you want to impress!

Jonell is one of those performers who is at her best when captured live. She pours her whole heart and soul into each song. This CD is a beautiful tribute to Townes Van Zandt and has many sparkling moments. I would recommend it to anyone with an ear for good music. The arrangements are excellent and the production top notch. If you ever do get the chance to hear Jonell live don't miss it. You will have a fine time, indeed!

I was introduced to Jonell before she finally got a long deserved record deal, and heard her sing years ago at a friend's wedding reception in Nashville and a small gig in Louisville. I yearned for years for this cd to become reality (as did she, I'm sure). In short, she has the most powerful and soulful voice I've ever heard. Catch her song in "Hope Floats", but grab this first....

Jonell Mosser has to be the best living non-classical female singer today. This album is absolutely incredible. The power and beauty of her voice is quite unbelievable. I love Townes Van Zandts songs and she has re-interpreted them in her own unique blues style. It's amazing to me that more people don't know about her. I guess the only negative thing that can be said about this album is that Mosser's amazing and intense singing distracts the attention a little from TVZ's poetry.
I give this album 10 stars out of 5.

This is the only album by Jonell Mosser that I have, and I'm not familiar with her other music (although I've heard her as a harmony vocalist on a Ray Bonneville album), nor am I that familiar with the songs of Townes Van Zandt (apart from a cover of 'Nothin' by Robert Plant, and 'Marie' - a duet with Willie Nelson). I thought I'd give 'Around Townes' a try because, from time to time, I like to 'discover' music by lesser known artists.

Lyrically, the songs have a contemporary country/folk flavour, and whilst I wouldn't consider 'Around Townes' to be an album of blues music, I think blues and blues-rock are significant influences in terms of its musical presentation. JM is a good singer with a strong soulful voice; another reviewer describes it as 'a cross between Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt', and I wouldn't argue with this. She sings higher up the range than does Bonnie Raitt and her voice has a bit more edge and power, but her vocals are less harsh and gritty than those of Janis Joplin. As befits the type of music, instruments played include: electric guitar, piano, Hammond B-3, electric bass, drums and percussion, and 3 tracks feature electric slide. Also, one track has mandolin and the final track includes a string arrangement.


All 13 songs are written by Townes Van Zandt. He writes heartfelt, bittersweet songs with evocative lyrics - with just a little bit of angst, here and there; the melodies are memorable - although at times, I thought somewhat predictable also. There are no songs that I dislike, the following are amongst my favourites :

'Where I Lead Me' - a straight-ahead blues-rocker, JM belts out the vocals without going OTT, and Bob Britt puts away some tasty riffs on electric lead; 'No Place To Fall' - a slow tempo, soul-drenched song; Johnny Neel tinkles the ivories on piano and Hammond to give it a 'gospel-jazz' feel; 'You Are Not Needed Now' - another slow tempo, soulful tune; beautiful melody and great lyrics; Nothin' - a bluesy and edgy mid-tempo song with some outstanding vocals from JM; terrific playing from the band, including a one minute plus percussion solo underscored by piano and electric slide (at the end of the song); 'Flyin' Shoes' - a slow tempo pop-rock ballad, it features piano and Hammond, with a touch of electric guitar.


This album was originally released about 6 months prior to the death of Townes Van Zandt; it strikes me as one which, by its careful selection of songs, is a genuine tribute to a fellow artist. 'Around Townes' is an album of thoughtfully arranged blues-rock (and some occasional country-rock), with good lyrics and all-round accomplished performances.

Flipping channels on the TV one day I ran across Jonell Mosser and immediately I wanted more. She was a cross between Janis Joplin and Bonnie Raitt. It took me a while to find her CD, but it was worth the hunt.

I'm a big Jonnel fan &, owing a bread-and-butter gift to a wonderful Irish lady who sings traditional aires herself, I knew right off what to send.

I got to know Jonell accidentally through Jim Wieder's CD big foot, her voice is simply amazing. I would suggest this CD to anyone. Jonell definitely deserves more credit as an artist.

I wish I could agree with the herd, but I was very disappointed by this CD overall. There was very little special-ness about the arranagements and I found her voice to be less than spectacular. She reminded more of Carol King or Laura Nyro -both songwriters first, singers second- than say Janis, (who someone compared her to) but this was no "Tapestry" not even a "Stone Soul Picnic".

Remember the Saturday Night Live skit where Phil Hartman plays SINATRA and they are making Frank's Duets album and SINATRA is running thru the singing partners in one take, no matter how bad it sounds. In comes Bono...PUNCH...out goes Bono.

That is how this left, like she had two hours of studio time and had a plane to catch. To my ears this CD was lacking in any kind of emotion. Even the usually reliable Delbert McClinton, who helps out on the most recognizable song on this CD, "If You Needed me" sound like he had saddle soars thru the production.

Listen to Don Gibson & Emmylou Harris version of "If I Needed You" is quite beautiful and quite different. Holds up well some twenty years later.

I can't recommend one song as standing out on the disc, none of it was horrible.

If this is one of country rock's answers to Janis Joplin, then someone just took anything little piece of my heart.

Sorry.