TRACY NELSON "VICTIM OF THE BLUES" Source: Chicago Sun Times Date: 04/2011 Writer: Jeff Johnson

Tracy Nelson seemed stuck in a creative morass that made even the most devoted followers of Mother Earth — her onetime group and her moniker inspired by her signature song from Memphis Slim — think twice about buying her albums. Perhaps she'd spent too long in Nashville. Since fire claimed her 100-year-old farmhouse last year, she has broken free of her country shackles with the earthshaking, R&B-inflected "Victim of the Blues." She sings her heart out on each of these 11 masterfully chosen covers, but the one that will stop listeners in their tracks is Joe Tex's "The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)." She now claims her rightful place among R&B belters like Ma Rainey and Irma Thomas — both of whom are represented here.