Michelle Shocked - 'Soul Of My Soul'

Michelle's Shocked's new record, 'Soul Of My Soul' is available to download from iTunes, so I did. Depending on where you look, there are different dates for when the physical album is released but I thought I'd download it now anyway. I'd have rather downloaded it from Michelle's site but the payment thingy was playing up and I'm an impatient sort so just clicked iTunes.

It's different to her last, gospel-inspired, album and opens with the guitar and drums mid-tempo rocky, 'Love's Song' before moving on to the ballad, 'Other People' which treats her political disenchantment with Bush's administration as the break up of a love affair with America ('we should see other people'). She then heads into the soulful, 'Liquid Prayer' which wouldn't be out of place on a Beverley Knight album before heading back into protest-land with 'Ballad Of The Battle Of The Ballot And The Bullet', using her words as weapons. She also heads into heavy metal for 'Giantkiller'. Ms Shocked is nothing if not versatile.

This is the 'Chelle Shocked I remember from 1988 and 'Short Sharp Shocked' and is her most accessible album for some time. I hope it does well for her - I'm enjoying it!