Michelle Shocked Goes To Church for New CD

05/15/07
. (PR) �Ask me about my religion,� writes Michelle Shocked in her �womanifesto� for her forthcoming album. �Of course, no one ever does.� But it�s all part of her long musical journey: �I was moved by the power of rock �n� roll. And if you follow the trail from rock �n� roll, it always leads you back to the blues, sweet soul music and finally to the churches and gospel music.� In Shocked�s case, it led to the West Angeles COGIC mass choir in the heart of South Central Los Angeles, where she now tries �living by the Good Book, and putting out a gospel record.�

The resulting album, titled (and spelled) ToHeavenURide, is scheduled for August 21, 2007 release on Mighty Sound through Megaforce/RED.

For this set, recorded live at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in June 2003, Grammy Award winner Shocked enlisted her Bay Area rhythm section, shanghaied Nick Forster (Hot Rize, etown) to play pedal steel and recruited the singing Dancys from New Greater Circle Mission Church in South L.A. for backing vocals and keyboards.

The marriage between the spirit of gospel music and the crisp Rocky Mountain air resulted in a rollicking performance. Shocked presents two songs by one of her greatest influences � Sister Rosetta Tharpe (�Strange Things Happening Every Day,� �Ain�t Gonna Study War No More.�) Tharpe is called the �father � well, mother � of rockabilly� in the notes, and the songs are dedicated to her spirit. Also featured are �The Weight� by The Band and �Uncloudy Day� and �Wade in the Water� by the Staple Singers. Billie Holiday�s �God Bless the Child� is given the Shocked treatment. Finally, �We�re Blessed� by Fred Hammond of the Detroit gospel group Commissioned, a modern gospel standard, is brought out of the churches.

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