Jonell Mosser with John Hall | Little Black Dress
(Independent)
Jonellmosser.com
This small silver platter comes at a distressing time in human history, though the original recording is from a simpler era, a quarter-century ago. Nashville soul singer Jonell Mosser took the Bearsville Theater stage in 1994, belting over Orleans front man, activist, and former congressman John Hall's zealous guitar, "We all share a circle, all we give comes back again..." Now with internet communities banding together and clandestine comrades gathering in arms-length arcs of unity, Mosser's sentiment rings true more than ever, as we cherish our circles and yearn for days of theater throngs. She recently unearthed this live gig, and thanks to engineer Julie Last and celebrated songwriter Johanna Hall, we're gifted with these stripped-bare, blood-stirring compositions that echo the vocal boldness of Bonnie Raitt or Janice Joplin. From crooning ballads ("Ordinary Splendor") to walloping powerhouses ("Bad Habit"), the blues never sounded better or came at a more urgent moment.
