Michelle Shocked,
Threesome

          

Label: Mighty Sound Records

(3½ out of 5)

There's no question that releasing 3 albums on one day is risky at best, and career suicide at worst. But Michelle Shocked has never been one to back down from a challenge. Shocked takes comfort in provoking discomfort in her listeners, willingly shifting from folk to blues to punk to rock and just about every other musical style seemingly at random. Her style lies in following her muse, not in pursuing commercial success.

Threesome, the compilation title for the 3-disc package, certainly isn't a commercial exercise. Instead, it's a generally enjoyable if inconsistent outpouring of musical excess.

The first disc, Mexican Standoff, pays tribute to Mexican and African-American musical traditions. Shocked affects a Mexican accent for some near-parodic border music on "Lonely Planet" and "La Cantina el Gato Negro." "Picoesque" celebrates the melding of cultures through the example of Santa Monica's famed Pico Boulevard. "Match Burns Twice" closes the stylistic transition to the blues. Of the ensuing blues numbers, "180 Proof" and "Blackjack Heart" are most notable. In reality, though, nothing on Mexican Standoff proves particularly noteworthy.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a much richer, more fully realized album. "Early Morning Saturday" is a gorgeous ode to lazy mornings in bed with the one you love. "Don't Ask" is a folkloric spoken-word song, with Shocked bending her voice like a schoolteacher to differentiate the predators from the victims in her story. Things get really interesting beginning with "Hardly Gonna Miss," which starts similarly to "Early Morning Saturday" but deals with darker issues of lost love. "Evacuation Route" is a powerful and haunting story of flight. "Fools Like Us" laments the difficulties of love. "Elaborate Sabotage" completes the cycle of painfully personal songs inspired by Shocked's recent divorce. Tacked on to the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell is a rocking little punk song, "Hi Skool," which depicts the unlikely friendship between polar opposites.

Shocked dispenses with stylistic complexity on Got No Strings, a fresh take on Disney songs both classic and overlooked. The simple musical approach allows Shocked's vocals to shine. Favorites include the soft, jazzy lullaby "Baby Mine" from Dumbo, a bluegrass rendition of "Spoonful of Sugar" from Mary Poppins, and a Polynesian take on Cinderella's "A Dream Is a Wish." Got No Strings is a beautiful gem to be treasured by children age 1 to 100.

Threesome is an awfully ambitious exercise. The results are mixed, with Mexican Standoff a forgettable muddle, Don't Ask, Don't Tell a substantial and at times personal album, and Got No Strings a wonderful treat for parents and grandparents to share with their children.

Shocked successfully navigated the risks of releasing 3 albums on the same date…this time, anyway. Rumor has it that she is preparing to tackle another 3-album project. Perhaps she then should consider giving her muse some time off to recover.

June 30, 2005