Jonell Mosser and Band "Reel 'Em In" at Uncle Pleasant's Watering Hole

By Karen Le Van

Jonell Mosser and Enough Rope had more than enough rope to reel in the audience at Uncle P's on Friday, November 20.

Jonell, a Louisville native, is one of Nashville's hottest session singers. She recently did backup vocals for Etta James, Lacy. J. Dalton, Gail Davies and Maura O'Connell albums. She also does backup vocals onstage with Lynn Anderson and Gary Nicholson (singer- songwriter of "Brilliant Conversationalist," a hit for T. Graham Brown). Enough Rope band member Tom Britt (the Clark Kent of guitar players), is a guitar master who formerly played with Leon Russell and is a talented songwriter as well. He and Jonell wrote several of the songs she performed, one of which was "I Like That In A Man."

Jonell was looking for a bass player when a friend suggested Victor Wooten. Victor was working in Virginia at the time and Jonell told her friend to tell him to come to Nashville and she would hire him. Little did she know at the time how great he really was. Wooten is also a member of the group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

Drummer Mark Edwards has played with T. Graham Brown and Dottie West. Keyboardist Doug Sismore of Nashville has also worked with Henry Lee Summer. That leaves Jimmy Greasy, one of the hottest sax players I I've heard in a long time. Put all that talent together on one stage and you've got one of the hottest and tightest sounds going.

The group was put together shortly before the second Summer Lights concert in Nashville. When called on to give her band a name so the p.r. and the contracts could be written, Jonell was standing in front of her bookcase and the first thing that popped out at her was Dorothy Parker's poetry book Enough Rope. The sound just caught her – Jonell Mosser and Enough Rope.

Their sound – rock 'n' soul – is high-energy rock with a soul sound and Jonell's crystal clear vocals and energetic stage presence sure kept the audience hanging on every note. Mosser did several originals, "Treasure Like You" and "The Price That Lovers Pay." "King of Africa," written by Mary McCary, slowed down the pace and really showcased Jonell's wonderful voice. "You Don't: Miss Your Water Till the Well Runs Dry" was also a big hit with the Uncle Pleasant's crowd.

It was a short set, opening for Shaking Family, so if Jonell Mosser and Enough Rope left you hanging and wanting more, you can catch them at Tewligans on Saturday, December 2, all night long.

In Nashville you can hear them at The Bluebird Cafe and, hopefully, in the near future on CD. Plans are in the works but it is too soon to discuss them. Jonell will also appear on Friday, December l, on the Lonesome Pine Special at the Kentucky Center for the Arts, as part of "Women In Music" with Pam Tillis and Maura O'Connell.