Jonell Mosser is one of Nashville’s best vocalists and most vibrant performers – and maybe the most under-recognized.
She’s well-known and loved in Nashville, but has never caught the national break she deserved.
When Ringo Starr, Don Was and Benmont Tench formed a new band in the ’90s called the New Maroons, Jonell was their choice for lead singer. When that band foundered after a Farm Aid show, Jonell’s big break was gone.
Yet she has persevered, delivering soul and rock with passion and purpose. Her live dates are electric, and her albums – particularly “Enough Rope, “Trust Yourself” and the sadly unreleased “Time Will Do the Talkin'” – are thoroughly engaging and powerful.
The new “Fortunes Lost, Fortunes Told” ranks with her best work.
Backed by a terrific band that includes Kevin McKendree, Tom Britt and Craig Krampf, the new album is full of love songs for adults, with all that implies.
“Nicer to Me” is a standout, a gently rocking, confident song that asks for a little more respect: “I know sometimes it’s tough baby, but you could be a litle bit nicer to me.”
“Ordinary Splendor,” is a ballad with a classic sound, written with John and Johnna Hall. It first appeared on her “So Like Joy” and is well worth revisiting.
While most of the tracks were written by Jonell and Tom Britt,the handful of covers are impeccable.
The album’s “single” is “I Can Give You Everything, a hard-charging, riff-laden song written by Al Anderson and Terry Anderson. Mosser has covered Al Anderson before; her “Bang Bang Bang” was wall-rattling rock ‘n’ roll.
Jonell clearly has an affinity for Nick Lowe. Her take on “When I Write the Book” was a highlight of her “Enough Rope” album (and her live show) and here she does a compelling cover of his “Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day.”
Nashville has the good fortune to have Jonell Mosser as an artist in residence, but her talent – and “Fortunes Lost, Fortunes Told” – deserve a much wider audience.
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