Michelle Shocked - Captain Swing [Expanded]

Corporate hellcat and musical wunderkind Michelle Shocked followed up her pivotal Short Sharp Shocked (1988) with Captain Swing (1989) -- the second entry in what she planned as a trilogy. The two albums are most definitely a study in contrasts. As the project's title suggests, she takes her message-laden selections into a Western swing and big-band motif. However, the artist's sly and often insightful lyrics remain true to Shocked's vision, and are rightfully at the center of her compositions. That said, enthusiasts of her earlier works were undoubtedly nonplussed by the highly stylized arrangements. The brassy and bluesy "God Is a Real Estate Developer" kick-starts the effort before veering into the catchy single "On the Greener Side." "Silent Ways" could almost be mistaken for Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. The deep-rooted Bob Wills Texas influence is custom-made for Shocked's slightly skewed love song. "My Little Sister" is a driving number infusing the restless spirit of Buddy Holly or Eddie Cochran, while the organic midtempo ballad "Looks Like Mona Lisa" recalls Townes Van Zandt. Another diverse standout is the jazzy "Streetcorner Ambassador," motoring along at a brisk pace behind a refined yet propelling upright bassline. [When Shocked reissued Captain Swing in 2004 on the indie Mighty Sound imprint, she added a heap of previously unavailable material -- including nine acoustic demos and a live reading of Robert Parker's 1966 R&B hit "Barefootin'," where she is backed by The Tower Of Power. There is also the a cappella "Garden Salad Diplomacy," recorded at the Metro in Chicago on March 11, 1989, and "Poll Tax Song," taken from a December 12, 1989, gig at the Apollo in Oxford. The extras conclude with four U.K. B-sides: both "The Titanic" and "Old Paint" are duets with her father, "Dollar" Bill Johnston, while the performance of "Worth the Weight" is circa May of 1990 at Lupo's in Providence, RI, and "Fairy Tales" hails from April of 1989 at London's Hackney Empire.] ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide