Nelson chose the right name when she called her '60s blues-rock band Mother Earth. More than a quarter century later, she still puts meaning in the moniker every time she steps to the mike. Her voice is deep and full, with a tug like the tide.
Nelson, 51, has been a solo artist since Mother Earth's demise in the early '70s, never pushing herself to venture far from her secluded Tennessee farm. This is the second album of her rejuvenated recording career following a 13-year hiatus. It's hard to imagine a better white blues singer, one who is equally rich and commanding of voice and so direct in delivery. When she sings the chilling "Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair," made famous by Bessie Smith, she brazenly confesses to slitting the throat of her unfaithful lover and makes you shiver.
The punch and locomotion of her backup band, featuring such battle-tested veterans as Al Kooper, Delbert McClinton and the Memphis horns, could uproot a tree and teach it to shimmy. (Rounder)