MICHELLE SHOCKED
Don't Ask Don't Tell (Mighty Sound)
Got No Strings (Mighty Sound)
Mexican Standoff (Mighty Sound)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

---

Roaring back with a trio of simultaneous releases, Michelle Shocked serves notice that her career is back in gear. Well, sort of. Playing cutesy with a Western Swing take on Disney Classics on the tepid Got No Strings is a nice, but tired, idea. We have enough Disney in our lives, thank you very much. On Mexican Standoff, Shocked teams with Los Lobos sax guy Steve Berlin for an, uh, Los Lobos style record, which as you may have guessed, would have worked better if Los Lobos had done it. Don't go yet, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Don't Ask Don't Tell, though a somewhat scattered affair, offers glimpses of that old Shocked magic. Beautiful music passages, cutting lyrics and the passionate voice are resurrected, apparently in response to a tough divorce ordeal. Tough times make for good music, and in this case, perhaps serve as a wake up call to where she really belongs. Anger is the way, Michelle.

© 2005 - John Sekerka