Tracy Nelson – Live From Cell Block D

Recorded at the West Tennessee Detention Center in December, Live From Cell Block D follows in the tradition of prison recordings by Johnny Cash, B.B. King and others. But Tracy Nelson went one step further, performing separate shows for male and female inmates.

At 55, Nelson’s vocal range remains undiminished. She’s able to reach the depths of anguish or the height of ecstasy, though tempers her power with restraint to keep her performances from being overwrought.

Nelson’s repertoire takes on added meaning before a prison audience. She makes Bobby Charles’ “Tennessee Blues” speak directly to every prisoner with its opening lines: “If I had my way, I’d leave here today.” And “After The Fire Is Gone”, a top-20 country hit for Nelson and Willie Nelson (no relation) in 1974, hits close to home for anyone separated from a lover or spouse.

“Send Me To The ‘Lectric Chair” could be a risky number to perform behind bars, but Nelson interprets it perfectly, Charlie Wood’s and Jim Spake’s sax supporting her balance defiance and resignation. She lightens the mood with the breezy “Got A New Truck” (co-written with Marcia Ball) and the carnal pleasure of “Feel So Good”, which concludes the album on a note of release and a dream of freedom.