by Scott YanowWhen Nnenna Freelon recorded her debut album for Columbia, a string-filled affair titled Nnenna Freelon, she was quickly labeled a Sarah Vaughan imitator. However, her second date (Heritage), which featured her backed by just a trio and occasionally a couple of horns, was a major improvement and she displayed a much more adventurous and original style, showing that first impressions are not always correct. Freelon, after graduating from Simmons College, raised three children and had a career in health services in Durham, NC, before really starting her vocal career. She performed well at an Atlanta jam session with Ellis Marsalis and two years later, on the strength of that jam, she was signed to Columbia. In 1996, she switched to the Concord label and Shaking Free was released in 1996 and Maiden Voyage followed two years later. The new millennium brought the release of Soulcall in September 2000.