Hardened blues fans recall Nora Jean Wallace as Nora Jean Bruso, the powerhouse vocalist who appeared on two of Jimmy Dawkins’ albums in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and perhaps her most recent release, dating to 2004, the BMA-nominated, acclaimed Going Back to Mississippi. The Chicago-based Nora Jean returns to the blues and to the same Severn label after a 16-year absence with Blueswoman. The simple, singular nature of title implies real deal blues tradition which is exactly what she delivers with backing from the Severn’s go-to session players– Johnny Moeller (guitars), Steve Guyger (harmonica), Steve Gomes (bass), Stanley Banks (keys), Kevin Anker (organ) , Robb Stupka (drums) with guest appearances from founder and producer David Earl on guitar (four tracks) and Kim Wilson on “Rag and Bucket.”
Three tracks in we get the growling, passionate title track, clearly inspired by the late Koko Taylor – “I’m a blueswoman from my wig down to my shoes. Just like a wolf was born to howl I was born to sing the blues” That’s one of four written by Stanley Banks. Wallace takes solo credit for four and there is the Syl Johnson classic, “I Can’t Stop” and George Jackson’s “Evidence,” both of which fit well in this steamy set. “Victim,” the fifth cut, represents the first time we hear one of her originals on the disc, and she certainly burst forth powerfully on the smoldering ballad with David Earl providing the tasty guitar solo (the only time Moeller sits out). Of course, Wilson blows a storm on “Rag and Bucket.”
Wallace indicates she left the blues scene to care for her mother (who has since passed). With that burden behind her although her mother’s spirit will always be present, the Greenwood, Mississippi-raised, Chicago-based Wallace is rejuvenated and re-energized. When she sings “I was born to sing the blues,” it’s not just a casual phrase, it was pre-destined. Her dad was a professional blues singer and sharecropper, her uncle was a blues singer and guitarist, her mother was a gospel singer, and her grandmother ran a juke house. Nor Jean began singing in Chicago’s West Side clubs in 1976, mentored mostly by Mary Lane and Joe Barr. Of course, her big break came with Dawkins, as alluded to previously.
When Wallace takes on a funkier soul persona on her own “Dance With Me” it doesn’t have the same earthy, gutsy impact as the bluesier material such as “Look Over Yonder,” (yes, it’s a takeoff on “Look On Yonder Wall”) or the typical wronged-by-my-man “I’ve Been Watching You,” strains of which we’ve heard many times from the male perspective. Although both are somewhat derivative, they fit her core style. “Victim” is the strongest one emanating from her pen.
The Severn session players have backed countless artists. They keep it economical with just the right fills at the right moments, framing the vocalist adeptly so that lyrics and nuances clearly come forward. Nora Jean is emphatically back for a “second career” of sorts. Power intact, it’s as if she never left but her vitality signals she has plenty more to say.
