It's the Arkansas Traveler Redux! Our favorite 'sophisticated hillbilly' returns to celebrate the 20th anniversary release of Arkansas Traveler, an 'epic journey into the heart of Americana.' "I believe it is a masterpiece that has stood the test of time," says Michelle, "and I'm delighted to return with a few updates and surprises added."
Michelle Shocked's bio suggests that she singer "wasn't born too good." On her Facebook page you find a brief (very brief) autobiography from the Texas-born singer which proclaims, "I'm just your average anarchist, punk-rock, born-again Christian." While her music speaks to a different tune— pop influenced melodies with a friendly acoustic guitar to match—it is in her controversial and defiant that you discover Michelle Shocked, punk-rocker. Seldom do you see an album with a disclaimer in the liner notes (like Arkansas Traveler) that forewarns, "The views and opinions expressed on this recording are solely those of Michelle Shocked and not...of the musicians who have contributed to this project." Much like the work of her Texas peers Willie Nelson, Victoria Williams and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Michelle's songs hold fast to a definite core, but owe no stylistic allegiance. She identifies strongly with her musical compatriots. "My family was welfare class," says Shocked, "and that makes you really, really, white trash. [These artists] helped remove class bias because they have all been given honorary middle-class value because of what they've achieved in their music."
Using the influence they had earned as artists, Michelle's peers helped pave the way for her by dismantling the social-class structure, and Michelle has since returned the favor with her own music. If history has shown us anything it is that every generation looks to its musicians to provide a platform for delivering a collective message. With their social clout and their ability to access the attention of a large audience, musicians have always made great champions of a common voice; and Michelle Shocked has been no exception. In the four-star review of Arkansas Traveler from Rolling Stone, the writer says, "this kind of generation-busting hasn't seemed so right since the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band [released] Will the Circle Be Unbroken." The article goes on to discuss the mythological aspects of the album, as Shocked sets out on a journey across America in "search of her musical roots." She meets characters along the way, collaborating with the likes of Taj Mahal, members of The Band, Doc Watson, punk-bluegrass trio Uncle Tupelo and Alison Krauss, to produce 15 songs of self-discovery that can translate to anyone's life, providing a connection with her audience that is coveted by most artists. The album has gone on to achieve massive underground success. Seldom can you find a review that calls Shocked's effort on Arkansas Traveler anything less than "ambitious" (Rolling Stone) and "exuberant" (Allmusic).
