WEB EXCLUSIVE: SHANNON MCNALLY

I used to cringe at anything that had even the slightest of country twang to it, but that was before I was exposed to Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, or the bad ass work of Johnny Cash. I’m still not sold on on any contemporary country (which I’m convinced isn’t really “country”), but occasionally an artist comes along with a country influence that doesn’t rub me the wrong way. Shannon McNally is one of those artists. And her newest disc, the 8 track Ran On Pure Lightning, is a nice break from the other stuff I’ve been listening to lately. With fellow musician Neal Casal on acoustic guitar, the tracks are solid. And Casal sings back-up really well, too. The only problem with this disc, for me, was that when it came to taking over the lead singer spot, Casal falters. There are only two tracks that feature Neal singing lead, but those two stick out as being the weakest work on the album. On the other side of the spectrum, though, is McNally’s amazing voice. “Pale Moon” brings Emmylou Harris to mind, and the steel guitar clinches it for me. A great, great song. And “Brings Me Back To You” reminds me of old Janis Joplin sung blues hits. And the final song, “Benmont’s Boogie”, is a fun, minute-long piano number, reminiscent of jazz club, piano boogies; a really fun way to end the album. Since this disc is only eight tracks long, it left me wanting more. If you’re interested in learning more, check out McNally at shannonmcnally.com.