Customer Reviews

Homemade Songs/Come See About Me

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4 star:		(1)
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Tracy Nelson really came into her own as a solo artist with these two LP's (now combined on one CD) in the late seventies and early eighties. Previous efforts on Atlantic and MCA were fine in their way but a bit strained. Here she sounds comfortable and strong. Apparently Flying Fish gave her the leeway that the bigger labels did not. What I didn't realize at the time was that after these efforts and a subsequent Direct-to-Disc release (Doin' It My Way -- words that Tracy lives by from what I know about her)she would virtually disappear for over a decade. That made these releases all the more valuable to me. The albums reflect her blues, country and folk influences. But most of all they present Tracy Nelson at her vocal best--strong, clear, emotionally rich singing that will make people who have never heard her wonder why she's not a superstar. (Answer--at least in part: she's not interested in being one). It's hard to recommend any one TN release, but this one is a certainly a good intro.

Tracy Nelson really came into her own as a solo artist with these two LP's (now combined on one CD) in the late seventies and early eighties. Previous efforts on Atlantic and MCA were fine in their way but a bit strained. Here she sounds comfortable and strong. Apparently Flying Fish gave her the leeway that the bigger labels did not. What I didn't realize at the time was that after these efforts and a subsequent Direct-to-Disc release (Doin' It My Way -- words that Tracy lives by from what I know about her)she would virtually disappear for over a decade. That made these releases all the more valuable to me. The albums reflect her blues, country and folk influences. But most of all they present Tracy Nelson at her vocal best--strong, clear, emotionally rich singing that will make people who have never heard her wonder why she's not a superstar. (Answer--at least in part: she's not interested in being one). It's hard to recommend any one TN release, but this one is a certainly a good intro.

In 1978 I was 24 years old and a sophisticated urban music lover, or so I thought. It was around that time that I was introduced to the music of Tracy Nelson, and my taste in music and perception of what good music is was immediately altered forever. Although I had heard some of the earlier efforts by this wonderfully eclectic artist, Homemade Songs was powerful enough to cause me to declare Tracy Nelson as my favorite singer shortly after I first heard it. Twenty-eight years later, she is still my favorite singer, and Homemade Songs remains one of my favorite albums of hers.

This CD represents two releases by Tracy (Homemade Songs and Come See About Me) that were originally issued on the Flying Fish label in 1978 and 1980 respectively. Of the two, Homemade Songs is my favorite, but each has its share of high-power moments. Tracy Nelson has one of the most powerful voices I've ever heard. No, make that THE most powerful voice I've ever heard, and although no mere recording can even quite capture the immense power that she presents in a live concert, this album will give you a very good idea of what she's capable of.

Homemade Songs starts off with the Randy Newman penned God' Song, which was also recorded by Etta James. Tracy reduces the lyrics to a sparse scale-down of the previous versions, but she does not hesitate to blow the roof off at the climax. Her final notes are so overwhelming that I sometimes stop the recording after the first track, just so I can allow my ears to rest for a moment and reflect on what a potent statement the song is. I've Been There Before is an R & B influenced ode to love; not so much love lost or love found, but the wonder of the state itself, and it's a perfect prelude to The Ice Man, which is all about the sweaty-palmed terror of finding true love ("It's not your fault, it's not even your concern. You ain't done a thing but just to try and be yourself. I can't get over my fear of being burned, I've no way to say I warn ya, but there just ain't no help for me...") Tightrope, which ended side one of the original vinyl, perfectly completes the love trilogy. In between we get a country-influenced tribute to a train (yes, that's right - a song about a choo-choo) and if you don't hear it with your own ears, you won't believe that such perfectly written imagery could be written about a mere bunch of railroad cars ("Somewhere along the Savannah, she was lifted away at the end of her day with her box-car lovers in sight. Still I can hear her arriving - whoo-whoo..."). When Tracy sings, "Whoo- whoo", her magnificent lungs lovingly caress each syllable until you're sure you've never heard anything more passionate in your life, and it's easy to forget that this is NOT a love song, but a nostalgic tribute to technology of the past.

Side two of the original vinyl opened with You Don't Need To Move A Mountain, lyrically one of the most beautiful tributes to deep love I've ever heard ("You don't need to move a mountain, tame the raging river, or make your body clean. You don't need to swim an ocean; just lay your head on my breast and rest a while with me".) The bouncy R & B influenced She Taking My Part (And It's Breaking My Heart) will have you snapping your fingers and moving around the room.

Carlene Carter Routh wrote the stunningly gorgeous song Friends of A Kind, which she performs with Tracy as a duet. Dianne Davidson, who Tracy has referred to in her concert gigs as "one of the finest songwriters in Nashville" proves the point with Sounds of the City, an aching paean to life on the road. And Suddenly is as bouncy an up-tempo number as you could want, never mind that it's about lost love ("Suddenly, you're not mine, well no more; suddenly, things ain't like they were before..."). I you really want to be impressed with sheer vocal ability, wait for Tracy to come out blasting at the beginning of the third chorus, right after the instrumental break ("Sudden-lee-ee, my li-ifeee AIN'T worth livinnnnnnn'; sudden-lee-ee I get no pleasure out of givin'..."). You will sit up and take notice, I promise.

And that's just the first ten tracks that make up the original Homemade Songs album. The next ten tracks, all R & B or R & B influenced gems, make up the Come See About Me album. Just the blues influenced Walk Away, which has become an important part of Tracy's live repertoire, makes the album worth every single penny.

Tracy Nelson is a powerhouse of a singer, and Homemade Songs is one of the strongest albums she's ever released in her (so far) 22 album career. If you are even marginally familiar with Tracy's work, but don't have this album, you will want to get it. If you have never heard her before, Homemade Songs is definitely recommended as a good place to start.

Somewhere, "Homemade Songs" is on vinyl in my house. This is worth re-purchasing on CD. One gem is "Friends of a Kind", a duet with Carlene Carter.

Well, now, I KNOW I'm getting old. I could have sworn that I posted a review for this "twofer" a while ago, but I don't find it here. Wasn't until I wrote up a review for the recently released SOUL SESSIONS compilation (culled in its entirety from tunes already available on this record) that I realized I didn't have anything posted here for this now-classic release under my name. Gotta remedy that one, cuz this is one record I've always made a point to promote to friends, family, total strangers who don't mind being accosted by a rabid Tracy fan--you name it.

Tracy Nelson first gained real prominence as the female lead singer for the San Fran (and subsequently, Nashville) based band Mother Earth. She officially went solo in '74, although she actually continued to tour with the and for several years to come. The first several solo albums were on major labels and it was pretty evident that the producers of same were going for fairly elaborate production jobs. They were interesting, and I didn't hesitate to snap THEM up when they came out on CD a few years back. But Tracy really was NOT about elaborate production jobs. She's always had that down home thing going on, and her unpretentious band--in its various incarnations--seemed well suited to her. Tracy Nelson was "indie" before there was indie.

When she landed on the small Flying Fish label in the late '70s, it seemed like she'd found a home at last. HOMEMADE SONGS had been the title of one of the tracks on her and the band's early '70s TRACY NELSON/MOTHER EARTH album (the first time they'd been billed that way, and the first indication that she was leaning toward a solo career). Ironically, that tune was NOT re-recorded for the album that would use its name as an album title, but it remained an apt title nonetheless.

The album was, overall, a deceptively "mellow" affair. True it actually opened explosively with a powerhouse take on Randy Newman's classic "God's Song." And then it shifted to a nice funky groove with the delightful "She's Takin' My Part," and then, almost before you realized it, the set moods and tempos started to shift yet again until the album's actual focus--at least for many fans-- turned out to be its gorgeous ballads like "Summer of the Silver Comet" and Dianne Davidson's "Sounds of the City."

Fans of Tracy's soul and blues belter side really didn't have to wait all that long for more, however. A few years later, she released the more r'n'b themed COME SEE ABOUT ME album. On the title cut, Tracy revamped the old Supremes hit and made it something new, less poppy but every bit as engaging. I never worry anymore about which artist "owns" a song. I just love and appreciate the grit and fire that Tracy brings to her take on this Motown classic. Same with "Hold On I'm Comin'". There's absolutely no point in comparing Tracy's take to Sam & Dave's original. Let's just say that it's a great tribute and no mean feat that she is able to convert this classic duet into a powerful solo. (I only wish she'd had horns on this one--the wiry guitar intro is OK, but the tune definitely could use the "oomph" of a horn section).

The album also marked the recorded debut of "Walk Away," a number has become something of a latterday signature song for Tracy, ever since she pretty much retired "Down So Low" from live performances. This great Oliver Sain tune, originally given prominence by Ann Peebles, is one of Tracy's fieriest performances. She's re-recorded it a number of times since, both in the studio and live. People who saw her on tour with the Chicago Blues Reunion a few years back know just what a barn burner she turned it into. It was clear that even in her '60s, Tracy Nelson had lost none of her power.

But you know, she also has this classic, you could almost say "stately" side to her soul repertoire, and over the years, I think I've come to appreciate that aspect of her music more and more. Songs like "It's Growing," "See Saw," "Holiday" and the gorgeous soul ballad "Done Got Over" exhibit a quieter fire, but they do stick with you. These tunes all have a groove that seems to chug along effortlessly until those key moments where Tracy unleashes her magnificent voice full throttle. Sneaks up on you, it does. And it's all the more of a thrill for it.

And she throws in a version of "You're My World" that should floor just about any listener with ears to hear. You owe it to yourself to check out Tracy Nelson. Question is, do you want to go with the sampler CD, THE SOUL SESSIONS or the more thorough, but still quite reasonably priced, "twofer" that's HOMEMADE SONGS/COME SEE ABOUT ME. For my money, I'd say, this is the one to grab onto, but I leave that up to you. You can't go wrong, and either way, I know you'll be back for more.