Artist:     Jonell Mosser with John Hall

Album:     Little Black Dress

Label:     J3 Records

Release Date:     12.6.2019

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From the stage at the Bearsville Theater in 1994, John and Johanna Hall joined Jonell Mosser, their friend and musical sister, to play some new music. Little Black Dress brings their words and music to life. From the opening notes of “Circle” to the closing riff of “Dance of Life,” John Hall’s steadfast guitar fingering creates a unique sound. Jonell Mosser’s expressive vocals, sometimes echoing strains of Bonnie Raitt, mold the lyrics and sound into one distinct unit.

Reminders of Orleans spring up at times, especially on “I Like That in a Man,” where strains of “Reach” fade in and out. Mosser’s soulful grit soars through the air while Hall’s harmonies (as on “Devil’s Hand”) seem to bring it back to earth for a smooth landing. Back on Earth, “Ordinary Splendor” elicits the pristine beauty of a ’40s jazz-infused love ballad. The harmony of voice and guitar commingle gracefully on the dazzling “Do You Love Me” and “Old Friend,” where “we walk this earth till the dream is through, in rain and wind and fire.”

From the fire to the ashes, Jonell and John, with help from Debbie Lan and Lance Hoppen, evoke the spirit of Otis Redding (“You Know Who You Are”) and summon bits of funk (as only Hall can) when the mood seems to find the need.

Though Little Black Dress was recorded back before John Hall served in Congress (at a time when he was the “dad who brought clementines” to the Saugerties High School girls’ basketball practices), it is as current, relevant, and fresh as the day it was recorded.

—Gene Knapp