Deep Natural

Although she has been stereotyped as the spiky punk folk singer of her Texas Campfire Tapes debut, Michelle Shocked has a far broader palette.

Now releasing records on her own label, what restraints might previously have been in place have been lifted completely and the result is Deep Natural, a vast, sprawling piece of work that throws a mass of ideas at the wall and sees which ones stick. Some do very well: ‘Why Do I Get The Feeling?’, ‘Forgive To Forget’ and ‘If Not Here’ are all thoughtful, elegant acoustic songs given an extra dimension by the introduction of brass and soul keyboards.

Too often, however, Deep Natural loses its way. The bombastic blues rock of ‘Little Billie’ simply doesn’t suit Michelle, nor do the frequent reggae excursions.

The latter certainly shouldn’t bode well for the accompanying Dub Natural disc of dub instrumentals but it has its moments, demonstrating that there’s a keen musical mind at work here, one with much to say and the passion and drive to say it.