These came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got ’em. Here’s what I said about them back then (with some minor editing):
Anybody can put out one album at a time. Plenty of artists can even release two simultaneously. But three? That takes some major ’nads. If you’re gonna ask fans to sit through three whole discs of new material, you better make it worth their while.
Of course, anyone who’s familiar with singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked knows she’s never been shy about going out on a limb. And anyone who gets familiar with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Got No Strings and Mexican Standoff will know the maverick artist has pulled off a fairly impressive feat.
Harking back to the “American Trilogy” of her first ’80s albums — apparently Michelle has a thing about threes — these consistently enjoyable releases encompass an impressively broad range of songs, moods and styles. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell is the most personal work of the bunch — a musically eclectic “divorce album” inspired by the likes of Richard Thompson’s Shoot Out The Lights and Bob Dylan’s Blood On The Tracks. Her musical approach may vary, but the thematic comparisons aren’t idle; from the Dylanesque How You Play The Game and the jazzy Hardly Gonna Miss to the Tex-Mex Evacuation Route and the shimmeringly folky Elaborate Sabotage, this is an unflinchingly personal chronicle of love coming unwound.
Fittingly, it leads into Got No Strings, on which Shocked rides the mood elevator all the way up to the toy department. Apparently celebrating her newfound freedom and symbolic rebirth — and getting back in touch with her inner Mouseketeer to boot — Michelle converts 10 classic Disney ditties like Wish Upon A Star, Bare Necessities and Spoonful Of Sugar into zippy Western swing and backporch bluegrass. Relaxed, playful and infectious, it may not have been designed as a children’s album, but it’s fun for little buckaroos of all ages.
The rootsy theme continues (albeit in a more grownup manner) on Mexican Standoff. Shocked calls it “Border Americana,” which is an artsy way of saying it’s a gritty, funky little Tex-Mex album that traces her musical upbringing, samples her melting pot of musical influences — and ends up sounding a lot like a really great Los Lobos disc with a couple of tracks by Tom Waits.
But what’s really great about these discs (which are available separately and as a set called Threesome) is that not only do they all stand up on their own, they all stand up to repeated listening. So give Shocked props. After all, there aren’t many artists who can put out three albums at once and still leave you wanting more.
