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Michelle Shocked's Bio:

Michelle Shocked released three albums simultaneously on June 21+ 2005: <i>Mexican Standoff</i>+ <i>Don"t Ask Don"t Tell</i>+ and <i>Got No Strings</i>. They were collected together in this three-CD set+ appropriately titled <i>Threesome</i>.<p> <span class="h1"><strong><i>Mexican Standoff</i></strong></span> <table cellpadding="4" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="4"><p> Shocked sounds particularly playful while playing things loose on the most roots-oriented of these three albums. Stylistically+ <i>Mexican Standoff</i> divides itself down the middle+ with the first half exploring Mexican border music and the second half devoted to Texas-style blues. The Mexican music ranges from the mariachi brass of "Lonely Planet" to the conjunto accordion of "La Cantina el Gato Negro" to the torchy "Match Burns Twice." On "Wanted Man+" Shocked moves into the sort of narrative territory frequented by the likes of Joe Ely and Tom Russell+ while "Picoesque" matches gospel piano with vocal dramatics so over the top they amount to caricature. While the first half of the album is all over the musical map+ the bluesy half is more of a piece+ with stinging guitar and bedrock organ suggesting that Shocked has channeled the swaggering spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. <p> <span class="h1"><strong><i>Don"t Ask Don"t Tell</i></strong></span> <table cellpadding="4" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="4"><p> <i>Don"t Ask Don"t Tell</i> is the most seriously ambitious and eclectic of the three+ so much so that Shocked might have considered combining the strongest tracks from its companions with the best here to make a single powerhouse release. It"s also the least conceptually focused+ though the centerpiece of a kiss-off song+ "Hardly Gonna Miss Him+" suggests a theme of love gone bad+ reinforced by titles such as "Elaborate Sabotage+" "Fools Like Us+" "Evacuation Route" and "Goodbye." Whatever Shocked has lost with the end of a relationship+ the song cycle benefits from a creative emancipation. Like a musical chameleon as she adopts various vocal styles+ she sounds willing to try anything--from the jazzy sophistication of "Early Morning Saturday" to the hipster spoken-word wisdom of "How You Play the Game" to the rollicking New Orleans spirit of "Don"t Tell." Most atmospherically audacious is "Don"t Ask+" which sounds like a cross between Dr. John in his Night Tripper days and Uncle Remus. Don"t miss the unlisted bonus track+ which ends Shocked"s most diverse collection to date in an explosion of punk-rock fury. <p> <span class="h1"><strong><i>Got No Strings</i></strong></span> <table cellpadding="4" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="4"><p>The most kid-friendly of the three+ <i>Got No Strings</i> brings the spirit of swing--from western to supper-club--to a collection of Disney soundtrack tunes. The steel guitar of Greg Leisz helps transform the familiar "A Dream Is a Wish" into a honky-tonk waltz+ until the sprightly fiddle of Gabe Witcher takes a break that recalls the 1930s" Hot Club of France. Shocked imbues "When You Wish upon a Star" with a breathy sophistication+ gives "A Spoonful of Sugar" a bluesy tinge+ and has never sounded more tender than she does on the lullaby "Baby Mine." Producer/guitarist Nick Forster of Hot Rize and band provide sprightly support throughout. From the hipster scat of "To Be a Cat" to the concluding yodel of "A Spoonful of Sugar+" Shocked and her musicians sound like they"re having fun. <i>--Don McLeese</i> <p> <span class="h1"><strong>Recommended Michelle Shocked Discography</strong></span> <table cellpadding="4" border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="4"><p> <tr class="tiny" valign="top" align="center"> <td> <img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00008Z48S.01.SWATCHZZ.jpg"><br><I>Texas Campfire Tapes</I></td><p> <td> <img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000CBLA8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpg"><br><I>Short Sharp Shocked</I></td><p> <td> <img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0001EFU64.01.SWATCHZZ.jpg"><br><I>Captain Swing</I></td> </tr><p> <tr class="tiny" valign="top" align="center"> <td> <img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002VGRE0.01.SWATCHZZ.jpg"><br><I>Arkansas Traveler</I></td><p> <td> <img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0000000M8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpg"><br><I>Kind Hearted Woman</I></td><p> <td> <img border="0" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000063NDE.01.SWATCHZZ.jpg"><br><I>Deep Natural</I></td> </tr> </table> </p>
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Michelle Shocked's Albums
Sweet Relief - A Benefit for Victoria Williams
Femme Fatale Volume 2 - A History of Women in Popular Music
LIVE @ The World Cafe (Volume 5)
E-town Live (Original Live Recordings)
Say What U Want - Artists for Rock the Vote
Dub Natural
The Facts and the Fiction
On the Greener Side
Hot Cookies
Threesome

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
Michelle Shocked released three albums simultaneously on June 21 2005: iMexican Standoff iDont Ask Dont Tell and iGot No Strings. They were collected together in this three-CD set appropriately titled iThreesome.p span class=h1strongiMexican Standoff/strong/span table cellpadding=4 border=0 width=100% cellspacing=4p Shocked sounds particularly playful while playing things loose on the most roots-oriented of these three albums. Stylistically iMexican Standoff divides itself down the middle with the first half exploring Mexican border music and the second half devoted to Texas-style blues. The Mexican music ranges from the mariachi brass of Lonely Planet to the conjunto accordion of La Cantina el Gato Negro to the torchy Match Burns Twice. On Wanted Man Shocked moves into the sort of narrative territory frequented by the likes of Joe Ely and Tom Russell while Picoesque matches gospel piano with vocal dramatics so over the top they amount to caricature. While the first half of the album is all over the musical map the bluesy half is more of a piece with stinging guitar and bedrock organ suggesting that Shocked has channeled the swaggering spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. p span class=h1strongiDont Ask Dont Tell/strong/span table cellpadding=4 border=0 width=100% cellspacing=4p iDont Ask Dont Tell is the most seriously ambitious and eclectic of the three so much so that Shocked might have considered combining the strongest tracks from its companions with the best here to make a single powerhouse release. Its also the least conceptually focused though the centerpiece of a kiss-off song Hardly Gonna Miss Him suggests a theme of love gone bad reinforced by titles such as Elaborate Sabotage Fools Like Us Evacuation Route and Goodbye. Whatever Shocked has lost with the end of a relationship the song cycle benefits from a creative emancipation. Like a musical chameleon as she adopts various vocal styles she sounds willing to try anything--from the jazzy sophistication of Early Morning Saturday to the hipster spoken-word wisdom of How You Play the Game to the rollicking New Orleans spirit of Dont Tell. Most atmospherically audacious is Dont Ask which sounds like a cross between Dr. John in his Night Tripper days and Uncle Remus. Dont miss the unlisted bonus track which ends Shockeds most diverse collection to date in an explosion of punk-rock fury. p span class=h1strongiGot No Strings/strong/span table cellpadding=4 border=0 width=100% cellspacing=4pThe most kid-friendly of the three iGot No Strings brings the spirit of swing--from western to supper-club--to a collection of Disney soundtrack tunes. The steel guitar of Greg Leisz helps transform the familiar A Dream Is a Wish into a honky-tonk waltz until the sprightly fiddle of Gabe Witcher takes a break that recalls the 1930s Hot Club of France. Shocked imbues When You Wish upon a Star with a breathy sophistication gives A Spoonful of Sugar a bluesy tinge and has never sounded more tender than she does on the lullaby Baby Mine. Producer/guitarist Nick Forster of Hot Rize and band provide sprightly support throughout. From the hipster scat of To Be a Cat to the concluding yodel of A Spoonful of Sugar Shocked and her musicians sound like theyre having fun. Don McLeese p span class=h1strongRecommended Michelle Shocked Discography/strong/span table cellpadding=4 border=0 width=100% cellspacing=4p tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B00008Z48S.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrITexas Campfire Tapes/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000CBLA8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIShort Sharp Shocked/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0001EFU64.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrICaptain Swing/td /trp tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0002VGRE0.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIArkansas Traveler/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000000M8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIKind Hearted Woman/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B000063NDE.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIDeep Natural/td /tr /table /p
Don&quot;t Ask&#43; Don&quot;t Tell

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
Of the three simultaneous releases that Michelle Shocked bills as her latest trilogy iDont Ask Dont Tell is the most seriously ambitious and eclectic so much so that she might have considered combining the strongest tracks from its companions with the best here to make a single powerhouse release. Its also the least conceptually focused though the centerpiece of a kiss-off song Hardly Gonna Miss Him suggests a theme of love gone bad reinforced by titles such as Elaborate Sabotage Fools Like Us Evacuation Route and Goodbye. Whatever Shocked has lost with the end of a relationship the song cycle benefits from a creative emancipation. Like a musical chameleon as she adopts various vocal styles she sounds willing to try anything--from the jazzy sophistication of Early Morning Saturday to the hipster spoken-word wisdom of How You Play the Game to the rollicking New Orleans spirit of Dont Tell. Most atmospherically audacious is Dont Ask which sounds like a cross between Dr. John in his Night Tripper days and Uncle Remus. Dont miss the unlisted bonus track which ends Shockeds most diverse collection to date in an explosion of punk-rock fury. Don McLeese p span class=h1strongRecommended Michelle Shocked Discography/strong/span table cellpadding=4 border=0 width=100% cellspacing=4p tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B00008Z48S.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrITexas Campfire Tapes/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000CBLA8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIShort Sharp Shocked/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0001EFU64.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrICaptain Swing/td /trp tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0002VGRE0.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIArkansas Traveler/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000000M8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIKind Hearted Woman/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B000063NDE.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIDeep Natural/td /tr /table /p
Mexican Standoff

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
Michelle Shocked sounds particularly playful while playing things loose on the most roots-oriented of the three albums she released simultaneously in June 2005. Stylistically iMexican Standoff divides itself down the middle with the first half exploring Mexican border music and the second half devoted to Texas-style blues. The Mexican music ranges from the mariachi brass of Lonely Planet to the conjunto accordion of La Cantina el Gato Negro to the torchy Match Burns Twice. On Wanted Man Shocked moves into the sort of narrative territory frequented by the likes of Joe Ely and Tom Russell while Picoesque matches gospel piano with vocal dramatics so over the top they amount to caricature. While the first half of the album is all over the musical map the bluesy half is more of a piece with stinging guitar and bedrock organ suggesting that Shocked has channeled the swaggering spirit of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Don McLeese p span class=h1strongRecommended Michelle Shocked Discography/strong/span table cellpadding=4 border=0 width=100% cellspacing=4p tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B00008Z48S.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrITexas Campfire Tapes/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000CBLA8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIShort Sharp Shocked/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0001EFU64.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrICaptain Swing/td /trp tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0002VGRE0.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIArkansas Traveler/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000000M8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIKind Hearted Woman/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B000063NDE.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIDeep Natural/td /tr /table /p
Got No Strings

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
The most kid-friendly of Michelle Shockeds three simultaneous June 2005 releases iGot No Strings brings the spirit of swing--from western to supper-club--to a collection of Disney soundtrack tunes. The steel guitar of Greg Leisz helps transform the familiar A Dream Is a Wish into a honky-tonk waltz until the sprightly fiddle of Gabe Witcher takes a break that recalls the 1930s Hot Club of France. Shocked imbues When You Wish upon a Star with a breathy sophistication gives Spoonful of Sugar a bluesy tinge and has never sounded more tender than she does on the lullaby Baby Mine. Producer/guitarist Nick Forster of Hot Rize and band provide sprightly support throughout. From the hipster scat of To Be a Cat to the concluding yodel of Spoonful of Sugar Shocked and her musicians sound like theyre having fun. Don McLeese p span class=h1strongRecommended Michelle Shocked Discography/strong/span table cellpadding=4 border=0 width=100% cellspacing=4p tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B00008Z48S.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrITexas Campfire Tapes/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000CBLA8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIShort Sharp Shocked/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0001EFU64.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrICaptain Swing/td /trp tr class=tiny valign=top align=center td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0002VGRE0.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIArkansas Traveler/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B0000000M8.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIKind Hearted Woman/tdp td img border=0 src=http:/mages.amazon.commages/P/B000063NDE.01.SWATCHZZ.jpgbrIDeep Natural/td /tr /table /p
Arkansas Traveler
Captain Swing
Short Sharp Shocked

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
The 80s folk revival yielded a diversely talented generation some reared on the aesthetic and ideology of punk some on their 60s singer-songwriter predecessors. They were looking for the directness of expression and connection with audience that stripped acoustic music promised. Michelle Shocked built an audience through her strident activist messages and raw almost naked songs; she had the sincerity that the audience craved. Despite the militant cover--in which a cop is seen choking a protesting Shocked--the record is memorable for its reveries of childhood its simple sense of hope and Shockeds minimalist guitar and hoarse youthful voice. Roy Francis Kasten
Texas Campfire Takes

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
Re-issue includes the edited 1987 version and the complete original unedited session with never-before-released songs and narratives including a 52-page journal of rare photos from the 1980s. The paper sleeves booklet are housed in a slimline cardboard box. Mighty Sound. 2003.
Arkansas Traveller
The Texas Campfire Tapes

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
The Original 15 Tracks that the Texas Folk Singer Born Michelle Johnston Recorded on a Four Track Cassette -- Digitally Remastered and Reissued on a Picture Disc CD. This Item Topped the UK Independent Charts in the Late 80s.
Deep Natural

Michelle Shocked Album Editorial:
Although double albums are again de rigueur the mercurial Shocked pushes the envelope on her first release in four years. Fully free from major-label duties Shocked picks up where the quasi-gospel vibe of the limited-edition IGood News left off (even reprising a few tracks) and delivers the most expressive singing of her career. She fuses deep Southern funk Jamaican dub ambient country-folk and socially and sexually conscious soul (à la IWhats Going On) with poignantly confessional faith-based lyrics. The more I forgive the more I forget/Let it go let it go she consoles herself. The sprawling instrumental companion disc IDub Natural has moments of artistic surprise (especially the supernova blues rock of Draughts of Dublin) though it rarely finds the purpose and spiritual poise of this sets main attraction--Shockeds ardent singing and gleaming inspired songwriting. Roy Kasten
Mercury Poise: 1988-1995
Kind Hearted Woman

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