Search - Shannon Wright :: Dyed in the Wool

Difficult, rewarding, rich and unique.

D. Mok | Los Angeles, CA | 08/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Shannon Wright is not an artist you can easily understand. From her early days as lead singer/guitarist of the terrific pop band Crowsdell to her recent, lyrical, category-defying solo work, Wright has always had the power to surprise, and to incorporate a hundred different rewards for the listener to uncover for him/herself. Her debut Flightsafety was quiet, introspective poetry with an intoxicating, dark beauty, and last year's Maps of Tacit showed her to be an artist not so much at the top of her class as alone in it, supreme in confidence and power.Dyed in the Wool, her third solo album, amalgamates elements of all of Wright's previous musical personalities, and then some. Listeners who have only heard Wright's solo work would be taken aback by twistily brilliant leadoff track "Less Than a Moment" -- electric guitars on a Wright record? Yes, before her solo acoustic guitar/piano/drum glory, Wright was a terrific electric guitarist. (Listen to Crowsdell's addictive guitar-pop anthem "Down" and you'll hear why.) A darkly elegant bassline, pounding drums, ringing electric chords, some haunting vocal chants, and a sardonic lead vocal combine to make the ultimate anti-rock song, one without a big foot-stomping chorus you can latch onto, but with a terrible majesty all its own. It stands entirely outside of anything solo Wright has ever done, and its daring is exhilirating. "The Hem around Us" sounds more familiar, an elegant fingerstyle guitar with a waltz drumbeat tapping insistently, but its vibe is unique, and when those eerie vocalizations come in, it feels like a twisted marriage of nightmare and dream. "Vessel for a Minor Malady"'s blend of piano and strings is absolutely gorgeous, sounding almost Renaissance-like, while "Hinterland"'s chorus sounds like an old English ballad, though added to its aggressive drums and rolling piano pattern, it defies categorization. "Method of Sleeping" sounds like a very moody movie score, with some of Wright's most naked vocal work to date. It reminds me of Caroline Crawley's vocal work on This Mortal Coil's "Last Night". "Surly Demise" begins life as the most conventional folk song Wright has recorded since her early single "A Tin Crown for the Social Bash" (an achingly beautiful song available only as an import vinyl single) but takes a trademark Wright left turn midway through. "Colossal Hours" shows Wright broadening her instrumental compositions as well, much more complex melodically and arrangement-wise than her previous instrumentals, "Holland" and "Regulation Scorrer", sounding regal and indeed colossal in a classical-music way. "The Path of Least Persistence" rocks out in a major way evoking that great Crowsdell rock vibe that I've missed, though with such strange melodies that it's like a Frank Zappa guitar solo with the percussive punch of Vs.-era Pearl Jam. And album closer "Bells" is just pastoral beauty incarnate, sparsely arranged with piano and voice, elusive lyrics attempting to mask emotions which the fragile voice betrays.All in all, I don't really think there's another artist who embodies pure expression and instinctive musicality as Wright -- except, perhaps, Neil Young. Both are artists working in an innovative language of their own design, and both are never less than interesting. At her blinding peaks, of which there are many, Shannon Wright is breathtaking, the most resourceful American songwriter of today."

Possibly the Best Recording of 2001

D. Mok | 10/13/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album is excellent! It's filled with unapologetic emotion, raw vocals and brilliant instruments. A very intriguing listen. If you ever get a chance to see Ms. Wright perform live, take it, she's an incredible live performer (and is really nice to her fans before and after shows too). And I must also say that this album does a faithful job of capturing the intensity of her live shows as any studio album could. Ms. Wright is one of the few artists who's albums keep getting better and better - I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.Check this album out if you love intelligent music that comes from the brain, heart and the gut ......"

Her best album yet!

cplewis | Merrifield, Virginia United States | 09/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Shannon Wright's live shows are intense, no question about it. She screams, she yells, and her performance can be so confrontational that the audience will be left feeling that the passion and emotions behind her songs were directed at each of them personally. Her first solo record, "Flightsafety" (1999) strips her songs down to a much more delicate presentation, while her follow-up album "Maps of Tacit" swings the pendulum in the other direction, hurling out songs that are way too intense for the unfamiliar ear. Luckily for all of us, Wright has found just the right balance between the emotional intensity of her live performances and the simple beauty of her songs with her latest, "Dyed in the Wool", which presents thirty minutes of some of her best, most accessible work yet. Highly recommended."