Michelle Shocked
Kind Hearted Woman
Safe House Records
Release Date: 1996
Michelle Shocked makes soul music. Not in the conventional sense; you wouldn't, say,
put her on a bill with Patti LaBelle and Teddy Pendergrass. But Kind Hearted Woman, Shocked's latest, speaks to the same places in the heart, touches the same raw spots and riles up the same fiery emotion.
There are lots of different kinds of soul music. Blues. Country. Folk. Punk. Each has embraced the experience of generations of people in different times, places, ages and skins. Shocked plays them all; she writes songs about strength and hardship, and her guitar is multilingual.
She speaks like a soul that's been through a thousand lifetimes, whose penance and consolation is to tell those stories. Whether a grieving mother in "A Child Like Grace," a frustrated farmer in "Winter Wheat" or a widow by the railroad tracks in "Homestead," she conjures characters, one after another, to cry on your shoulder, wrap an arm around you or tell you a tale on the back porch rocker.
And she's never been one to do things the easy way. She kicks off the album with "Stillborn," an agonizing lament that's wrenching but hardly accessible. She'd rather hit you in the face with the rough stuff right away, let you know you can't be comfortable for too long. Shocked displays her sense of humor now and then, but she is first and foremost a protest singer (though, like every other adjective used to describe her music, this one too should be taken loosely). You'll enjoy the music, but you're gonna have to take the pain with the pleasure.
Hang in there; the pleasure will come. The rollicking mischief of "Eddie," the sweet love offering of "Silver Spoon," the self-deprecating laughter of "The Hard Way" or the wistful defiance of "No Sign of Rain" display Shocked's School-of-Hard-Knocks diploma along with the strength and humor she needed to graduate.
Kind Hearted Woman's greatest strength is the music itself. Too many folk-type singers these days get caught up in their politics to the detriment of the tunes that carry them. Not Shocked. Backed by a band that includes Peter O'Toole and Fiachna O'Braonain of Hothouse Flowers, Shocked pays attention to the notes emanating from her guitar (not to mention her miraculous voice). She pours her heart into her music as much as she does her lyrics, an admirable feat for a poet of her caliber.
Of course, purists of any stripe aren't likely to worship at her altar. Michelle Shocked peppers her compositions with elements of blues, country, rock, folk and punk, and blends them into a refreshing but strange brew. Doesn't matter what's in it, though. The heart will recognize it for what it is -- soul music.
-- Lindy Powell
powell@outersound.com
