Critic's pick: Michael
Penn with Shivaree @ 3rd and Lindsley (
by Marc Hirsh
originally published on Nashville Scene online, October 13, 2005
At first glance, it might not be obvious what Michael Penn and Shivaree are doing on the same bill. Penn, after all, is a pop craftsman par excellence who knows the taste of a top 20 single (1990’s still-sparkling “No Myth”) and is equally adept at naked vulnerability as he is at stinging guitar rock. Shivaree, on the other hand, specializes in a noir cabaret cocktail with a mordant sense of humor best exemplified by the second-longest album title of 1999, I Oughtta Give You A Shot In The Head For Making Me Live In This Dump. But what the two share in common is the way their singing stands out from the crowd, with Penn’s nasal, Lennonesque croon and Shivaree’s Ambrosia Parsley’s dusky torch-song quiver both a genuine pleasure to hear under any circumstance. The fact that their songs are pretty good? We’ll call that a bonus. – Marc Hirsh