When I’ve never heard of an artist and I hear their music for the first time, I either get sucked in or spit out. I never know which is going to happen until that first moment when the play button gets pushed, the music comes roaring out, and I have to ask where they’ve been hiding or, conversely, why they haven’t stayed hidden longer.
Luckily, the former applies to Shannon Wright whose new set of recordings, Let In The Light bears the raw grit and emotion of a rock and roll survivor taken to her own edges to uncover inspiration. Add the growl of part Patti Smith and Cat Power, the sincerity of Liz Phair’s Exile In Guyville and Fiona Apple’s original Jon Brion-produced version of Extraordinary Machine, and the poetic vengeance of Lou Reed, the resulting recordings are challenging in all the best ways: uncompromisingly honest self-assessments akin to stirring a hornet’s nest. Three years of recording, performing all the instruments save bass and drums, went into the creation of this record. It’s quite an achievement and one I expect to hear more about in the months to come.
This album is apparently her fifth solo outing for Quarterstick Records and it makes me wonder why I haven’t had the opportunity to hear her other four. Rest assured, I now have some real homework to do. This is one of those press play experiences I think will be worth remembering.
Shannon Wright – Everybody’s Got Their Own Part To Play
Shannon Wright – St. Pete
You can purchase Shannon Wright’s Let In The Light from Insound by clicking here.
