Customer Reviews

Deep Natural

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I own four other Michelle Shocked cds (Captain Swing, Arkansas Traveller, Short Sharp Shocked, The Texas Camp Fire Tapes) and this new one is already working its way up the list to being a favorite. Maybe that's because it's so new but I have a feeling that this is a cd that will last.

It starts out with an accapella vocal called "Joy" that gets repeated later on in the record as a full song. That creates a theme because over the two different records, certain songs start to show up again either as instrumentals or as little bits that remind you of one of the earlier songs. It's really intriguing the way it weaves into itself. And joy is definitely one of the themes of this record, and now that I think about it, also of Michelle Shocked's songs before this album.

The sound of this cd is surprising but it's Michelle Shocked, so I almost want to say "of course." You learn to expect the unexpected with Michelle and she's done it again. I think this cd is a tour de force, containing so many strong songs and so many potent styles and arrangements. And its sort of a wild rollercoaster too, because just when it gets sublimely calm and mellow, it suddenly roars up and rocks incredibly hard.

Lyrically, Michelle is always superb. But this is a 2 cd set with one whole cd devoted to instrumentals, and I can see that some people might be really surprised by that. Surprise! It's Michelle Shocked, "Of course." And I've listened to these two records now with just the two of them in the cd player on shuffle, and it's fascinating how they reflect back and forth on one another. The instrumentals are beautiful, reflective pieces primarily, although a couple of them are rocking or reggae or ska, and are not represented on the other cd. But already I'm developing favorite songs, and when the instrumental versions come along, I'm hearing the lyrics in my mind, which I think may have been one of Michelle's ideas for why she did it this way. It's really trancendental.

The theme of the songs is joy and how you have to hold on to it even if the world wants to take it away. There is a really rough edged rock blues song where Michelle talks about a woman who dances on the casket of her own son, and then right after it comes a truly beautiful but ghostly song of mourning, with one of the most haunting melodies I have ever heard.

I don't want to make it sound like this record is dark because it is almost the opposite. Usually if someone told me that they were listening to a cd where the theme is joy, I would naturally think that it was shallow or kid-pop. This cd is more like a meditation on joy, or more like the experience of joy, leaping up and falling down, and then getting up again, just like in life.

I can't recommend this cd enough. It's adventurous as Michelle Shocked's cds always are, and it takes you to some very special places. She sings so beautifully it's difficult to describe. I love her voice for its expressiveness on every album but this time around she's at her warmest. Sometimes she's even screaming and other times she's practically whispering. And other times, her voice goes away and the instrumental side of things takes over, and you can really feel the power of her absence. I'm sure that she knew that when she decided to put both of these cds out together, because it makes for a truly unique listening experience.

I have a very short personal list of musicians whose CDs I always buy. She was ABOUT to fall off that list until she came out with Deep/Dub Natural.

In my opinion, about Shocked's only flaw is a tendency to preach and as she matured, she made that mistake a few times.

Not in this album! Like her early music, the lyrics are poignant yet nuanced. But, she has broken out of the folk mode without giving it up completely.

Clearly she has had some encounter with God and she uses that as lyrical focus. But don't think this is some boring Christian album. She NEVER falls into cliche even when she re-interprets a song like Amazing Grace. That song, for instance, breaks your heart and renews at the same time.

Great stuff. And don't neglect Dub Natural. I like it maybe even better than Deep Natural. I know that Shocked wasn't the first to do a re-mix second disk, but not many have done it better. It really works -- "Dub" has the feel of "Deep" but is not a needless duplication. I play Dub Natural more than "Deep".

I also hope this CD will open up her audience beyond the folk singer-songwriter crowd. She deserves it. Unfortunately, I doubt this release will get a lot of promotion. Good reason to buy it, though - play if for friends and they will think you have the good taste to not follow the masses.

It has been quite a while since Michelle Shocked has put out a record so I was very anxious to hear this one. I wasn't disappointed!!This is an innovative, diverse record that perfectly reflects Michelle's genre-crossing sensibilities. From rockin' bluesy numbers like "What Can I Say" and "Little Billie" to gorgeous acoustic numbers like "Moanin' Dove" to songs like "That's So Amazing" and "Go In Peace" that evoke Van Morrison without really trying to (if that makes any sense), this is an amazing record. The production mixes dub sensibilities with steel guitar on some tracks, on others it is more straight ahead rockin'. It's hard to describe really, but very easy to listen to . The second disc is definitley a more "chill" experience, but a great companion to the first disc. This is one of the most consistently interesting and affecting records I have heard this year. Amazing!

Known from the first for her passion, her politics and her (excuse the expression)"balls", perhaps we should not be so surprised that herein lies a work of great innovation and daring. Always an interesting songwriter, Shocked appears to have made a Bob Beamon leap, far surpassing anything she has written before. And her vocals are far more mighty and moving than we remember. These modern spirituals carry with them the classic sounds of the instantly familiar. She moves easily from genre to genre, from gospel to blues to r&b to folk to country to pop to Cajun to funk to handjive to reggae to rock while inventing some splendid hybrids along the way. Still there is a marvelous cohesiveness to the record as a result of recurring words, themes, and, most of all, a modern and daring use of the studio. The production is responsible for pushing these rootsy gems squarely into the 21st Century. In fact, there is a bonus cd titled `Natural Dub' which are simple instrumental riffs pared from the cuts on the other cd. This may be a bit too 21st Century, if you don't mind, and you may just want to pass it off to your far-more-hip progeny. Then go back and listen to the superb, `Deep Natural'.

For Michelle Shocked fans, there's no need to explain how truly remarkable this album, and artist, is. This review is for everyone else.
Deep Natural simply can't be compared to early Michelle Shocked albums. For Michelle, each album is an opportunity to break new ground. As she put it at a recent show, "its nice to go home and visit the room where you slept, but you wouldn't want to sleep in the same bed for the rest of your life." No danger of that with Deep Natural.
This is an album has a unique joyous, even spiritual tone that grows with each listen. Recorded by anyone else, Deep Natural could have been a too-preachy recording bent on spreading the gospel to non-believers. But with Michelle's optimistic and deft touch, it is an uplifting, transforming effort that will bring a smile to even a confirmed cynic. Buy this CD and songs like House Burning Down will keep you rocking, while Joy, That's So Amazing, and Forgive to Forget may change your outlook on life.

When my local paper ran a review of Deep Natural, I had never heard of Michelle Shocked before. It was an incredibly glowing review, though. So, I decided to splurge and take a chance and pick up the cd. I popped it in my cd player and sat down. The album opens with Shocked belting out a short acapella song titled "Joy". This song would later be used as part of "Can't Take My Joy". My jaw dropped. "Joy" was powerful and just gave me a little chill. It just felt special, that the album as a whole was going to be something very special. It is.

Even though Michelle Shocked can use her voice as a powerful instrument on songs like "Good News" and "What Can I Say?", she still effectively sings "Psalm" when she goes softer. The range that Shocked can use her voice as an instrument is incredible....as is her gifts as a musician and songwriter. I was completely blown away by Michelle Shocked and she is now one of the few that I will recommend without any reservation.

I've been quite fond of Michelle Shocked and this double CD seems to multiply it by four. Once again, she continues to change and expose fans to something different...Which I can say it's always refreshing. I don't think it's a downturn, but quite the opposite. Michelle Shocked recently showcased some of the new tunage on the syndicated "E-Town" radio show, and I was warmly moved. She seems to be moving from her Bluegrass roots to a more funky, jazzy sort-of flavor...I think she is continuing to push the envelope and collectively improvise in a strange but positive way. For long time Shocked fans, don't think down, but think upward. And, no - She did not tell me to write this...Just listen to the CD's and feel the magic. I did. JG

First things first: the 2nd disc of this set is a total waste, just a set of instrumental remixes, I can't imagine ever playing it again. Still, I think the first CD is worth the price, there's a lot of good material, though I really miss "Match Burned Twice," the most memorable of all the songs that Michelle has been playing live.

And the production of "Good News," and older track which seems to have been dropped into the middle of newer, better recordings, remains unbelievably poor. Michelle begs people not to bootleg her shows, then releases material that sounds worse than a bootleg?!

The packaging is terrible... no matter how you fold it, one disc is exposed and prone to falling out. There are no credits, you are directed to a Web site (mightysound.com) which doesn't exist yet.

Those of you who have seen Michelle recently know that she has become extremely evangelical, and that hasn't changed. As an atheist, I find myself cringing at the more preachy passages, and I don't think you have to be an atheist to be put off by that sort of thing.

With the "bad news" out of the way... there is some excellent material here. If you throw out the unlistenable "Good News" and "Little Billie," and you can live with the talk of her Lord and the Resurrection, Deep Natural may be as strong as any Shocked CD to date, with all the unclassifiable genre-bending songs that you've come to expect.

So the bottom line of my mixed review is: if you don't mind spending double-CD price for one very good, but preachy single CD in extraordinarily poor packaging, you won't be disappointed.

This collection of music contains such a wide variety of themes that it is wonderfully difficult to write a review. It is such an interesting and real album, that I can't help myself.
The music on this cd travels from very slow melodies which seem to be content simply to meditate upon the sounds they are making, on to very fun and groovie little jams, all the way to some very intense schtuff.
This is certainly not the cd I thought that I was purchasing. It is far, far more interesting.
I didn't think they even made made music like this anymore.
I will recommend to all of my friends to certainly pick this one up, put it in the player, and just let it take them away.
Random play works nicely.

I asked my wife to get this album for me for Christmas. I was a bit disappointed when I listened to it and thought it uneven. But then I took it to work and copied the songs I liked (Why Do I Get the Feeling, Forgive to Forget, That's So Amazing, I Know What You Need, If Not Here, Moanin' Dove, Psalm, and Go In Peace) onto my computer. When I listened to the resulting playlist I was stunned to realize what a beautiful selection of music it was. I looked at the cumulative minutes of play time and it was almost 39 minutes, the standard length of an album back in the old days. A CD made up of these songs would be an unconditional hit. It is a thematically consistent example of the best of what I would call Adult Contemporary music. It certainly fulfills the promise of Kind Hearted Woman, which I found to be an engaging, if dark, album. It's music for grown-ups who appreciate creativity. ...

I will admit that the other songs on the CD aren't bad, it is purely a matter of personal taste. I have to confess to enjoying the rare CD where the entire disc has the same feel (Norah Jones' Come Away With Me is an example). If you have other Michelle Shocked CD's and enjoy eclectic mixes of style, then you might love the original version...