This page has the glowing reviews of Michael Shelley's albums (scroll down for the earlier releases). Click on the links to read the full reviews!
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Writing a simple, direct song is hard to do, but there are those musicians who have made it look easy. Roger Miller and Nick Lowe quickly come to mind. Across four previous albums, including a terrific collaboration with Scottish popper Francis Macdonald under the name Cheeky Monkey, Michael Shelley has demonstrated that he’s of that same stripe by proving wisdom and whimsy can coexist in the same two-and-a-half-minute-roots-pop excursion. The sort of record that makes you enviously think Bastard! He can pull off gorgeous summery pop: ‘We Invented Love’ which has more than a hint of Teenage Fanclub, he does western twang instrumentals, light-hearted country rock, ‘Hurry on Up and Fall in Love’ skitters along with a following wind of pedal steel and as much twang as a medieval castle-storming catapult. His 60’s and Monkees homage skill are pretty much spot on too; ‘Out’ could be prime pre-fab four and ‘Move Along’ has that cheesy 60’s dance party organ and guitar. His spurned lover shtick is well honed and make no mistake, he can do the straightforward indie-country melancholy pop as on ‘The Leaves Fell Off the Trees’. The title track is full of lovely warm hooks and vocals that belong on classic FM songs and if that isn’t enough a country shuffle doesn’t trip him up either, it sounds so authentic you can feel the suede fringe on his jacket. And if all this wasn’t enough to inspire envy in the most generous of hearts, he gets to duet with Laura Cantrell too, bastard.–David Cowling, Americana UK Michael Shelley has been a favorite of pop connoisseurs for years now, and his new Goodbye Cheater should continue that trend, particularly for fans who like their pop spiked with a little country. Playing catchy songs with a newfound twang, Shelley finds common ground between teen angst and grown-up heartbreak, making it hard to avoid singing along with winning tracks like "We Invented Love," "Move Along," and the kiss-off title track. -Keith Phipps, The Onion Throughout the course of his decade-long recording career, Michael Shelley has laced his inescapably beautiful melodies with a wickedly droll sense of humor. And with lyrical couplets such as “My bullshit detector is set on stun” (“Move Along”) or “I can’t hear you/You’re Charlie Brown’s teacher to me” (“Suddenly Free”), Goodbye Cheater is no exception to that rule. But this time around, Shelley seems more willingly to reveal his vulnerable side, whether in the sweetly nostalgic “We Invented Love,” or “I’ve Been Trying,” a heartbreakingly forlorn duet with Laura Cantrell. All of which is not to say that Goodbye Cheater is a bummer, by any means—“Out” introduces Auntie Grizelda to Mrs. Robinson, while “A Little Bit Blue” and “Hurry Up and Fall in Love” are slices of honky-tonk heaven. The all-too brief instrumental “Goofball” is a theme song in search of a spaghetti western movie. “The Leaves Fell Off the Trees” is the trippiest jam the Dead never recorded. Hello Goodbye. -Rick Schadelbauer, Amplifier It's been a while since the last Michael Shelley CD - 2001's great I Blame You. Since then Shelley been busy with his label, Confidential Recordings, and frankly I was starting to wonder if we'd ever see another CD from him. That would have been a shame. Goodbye Cheater shows why. It's easy to lose track of a performer as he or she moves from label to label, and that's a shame with a talented pop-smith like Michael Shelley. Goodbye Cheater (2004) displays the same kind of smart pop sensibility that made I Blame You such a good album way back in 2001. Although it might be easy to compare Shelley to an earlier version of Elvis Costello, he manages to be smart while still keeping the music visceral and fun. The first several songs -- "We Invented Love," "Hurry on Up and Fall in Love," and "Out" -- range quite a bit in style (old rock, country, minor-key pop) while retaining a similar good-time spirit. Like old rock and pop, Shelley keeps the arrangements fairly simple and straightforward, and hardly any song lasts over a couple of minutes. The big exception, time-wise, is "The Leaves Fell Off the Trees," a dreamy, five-minute concoction that floats along like the best of early-'70s pop/rock. Although Goodbye Cheater is rather short at 33 minutes, it still holds a dozen good songs in a variety of styles, so it's long enough for a pop album. For fans of good songs, emotive vocals, and solid ensemble pop/rock, Shelley once again proves he has the goods. -Ronnie D. Lankford Jr., The All Music Guide Sometimes it seems that the only thing that will save music from its imminent nihilistic consumption is the cheery melodies from the legions of Pop! songcrafters who power on under the radar. Michael Shelley is one such savior. His fourth solo record is a perfect and tasteful mix of whimsical pop and country twang, so uplifting that even the underlying subject matter is love gone bad cant spoil the positivity. Tracks like The Leaves Fell Off the Tree and the title track each have a Mother Hips-meets-Pernice Brothers quality about them. Hurry On Up And Fall In Love is a brisk alt. country twanger full of tenor guitar and pedal-steel. Fun stuff all over! The self-produced release was recorded in Brooklyn by Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Lemonheads, Apples In Stereo) and features musicians John Lee, Jon Graboff (Amy Rigby), Steve Goulding (Mekons, Graham Parker), Jay Sherman-Godfrey, Drew Glackin (Silos, Tandy), Dan Miller (They Might Be Giants), Dave Amels and guitarist Jim Campilongo on a couple of tracks. Not to mention Laura Cantrell who duets with Michael on the beautiful Ive Been Trying. -Miles Of Music This would sound good mixed up with Beatles For Sale, Michael Nesmith's 1st National Band albums, Badfinger's No Dice, and The Mother Hips' Later Days. There's a purity of vision, a purity of spirit even, to Shelley. Each of his albums is a lesson in breathless pure pop touched by a country wind. While Paul McCartney's Chaos And Creation In The Backyard was a gentle reminder of past Beatles glories, Shelley's new one is the direct descendent of all the virtues of pre-Revolver Fab Four. Opener "We Invented Love" is surely a giddy regular on God's jukebox. "The Leaves Fell Off The Trees" encapsulates autumn in just a few minutes, and the title track has the plaintive power of '50s singles. Only Cheap Trick and the Smithereens have sustained anything like Shelley's unbroken pop quality. This is an especially fine example of the man at his best. -Dennis Cook, JamBase It takes little over half an hour for these fourteen tracks – several bravely clocking in at well under the two-minute mark, by the way! – to find a forever place deep within the heart, soul, and even funny-bone-sorta of you more discriminating listeners out there. For when not lazily tilling the traditionally rich soils tended as well by Walter Clevenger and Bill Lloyd, Michael goes and creates the kinda sounds lovers of the Lovin’ Spoonful’s Z. Yanovsky-powered B-sides, as opposed to merely their chart-toppers, will especially appreciate. Elsewhere, the crazed C&W Buck Owens and Mike Nesmith unfortunately never got the chance to create together appears (“Out” and especially “A Little Bit Blue”), a roller-rink bed of organ the likes of which Garth Hudson could so easily crawl beneath for a nice long nap supports “Where Did I Go Wrong,” “Goofball” and “Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha,” two instrumentals truly too cool for words, provide themes for some long-lost “Hee Haw” / “Ready Steady Go” cross-programming, then none other than the lovely and talented Laura Cantrell joins Michael on “I’ve Been Trying” to produce perhaps the greatest Everlys recording Don or Phil sorrowfully never made. A most astute eye for lyrical detail (“I felt so alone, the smell of Coppertone, french fries in a car and sand in my guitar”) sung in a voice Colin Blunstone would surely wink towards all adds up to one of the most majestically understated releases of this or of any other year I can recall. -Gary Pig Gold, Ear Candy and Fufkin.com.
There is something immediately likable and catchy about Michael
Shelley's pop tunes on I Blame You. Sort of like a young Elvis Costello
covering Ben Folds Five territory. The rich melodies of "Mix Tape" and
"Stoop Sale" evoke images of new love and love gone bad, and seem designed
to extract precious emotions from the listener. The dreamy "Face in My
Pocket" covers the joys of carrying a photograph — a face — in one's
pocket, while "Dear Mr. Webster" reveals the limitations of a dictionary
to describe a new attraction. The arrangements vary quite a bit, adding
horns on several cuts and pedal steel to others. There's a lovely duet
with Laura Cantrell on "Let's Fall in Hate" that works as both a good
country song and a send-up of the genre. One the best songs among good
songs is "Listening to the Band," a melancholy tale of a wild romance
turned sour, perfectly brought to fullness by Leif Artzen's trumpet.
Shelley romantically captures the sadness and elation of each song,
singing with conviction and assurance. The writing — 99% of it by Shelley
— is finely honed; in fact, the lyrics fit so well with each song that
they call little attention to themselves. I Blame You passes the listener
by quickly, like a nice summer breeze full of memories. It's a lovely
release by a confident artist, and will be welcome by his fans and anyone
who loves appealing pop music. — Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. Launch.com "Homegrown New York City songwriter Michael Shelley is one of those
little goblins who surfaces when least expected--a winning troubadour with
a handful of perfect pop gems. In the mid-'90s Shelley would have recorded
on some major label with a big PR push and small articles in all the hot
mags of the day. But this is an anti-quality-pop era, so Shelley is mostly
unknown, and that is too bad, for I Blame You is a small classic. From the
pleasant "Face In My Pocket" to the puppy-love salute of "Mix Tape" to the
mop-top rock of "Stoop Sale," Shelley gets it all right, song after song.
Not only does I Blame You revel in grand expensive-sounding production, it
even includes a rocking instrumental track called "Rollo." Think Fountains
Of Wayne meets the Lovin' Spoonful, or the Monkees fronted by Freedy
Johnston. Think Michael Shelley. -Ken Micallef, All Music Guide "After three memorable and impressive releases on the Big Deal label
(counting his collaboration with Francis Macdonald as Cheeky Monkey),
Michael Shelley returns with his most accomplished and outright best
release yet with I Blame You. "Alternative rock is not the commercial slop we're forced to listen to
on certain radio stations day in and day out, nor is it a style of music
with a label slapped on it by a music conglomerate. Alternative rock is a
style all its own, gleefully creating its own noise and choosing whether
or not to give the finger to traditional musical mores. Michael Shelley's ability to craft witty, unassuming pop songs has developed nicely over the course of two solo albums and a side project. While in the past he's occasionally experienced problems balancing cleverness with tunefulness, he's never sounded stronger than he does on I Blame You. Blame's song titles ("Don't Fence Me Out," "Let's Fall In Hate") suggest that Shelley has surrendered to one side of that equation, but the songs themselves tell a different story. "Mix Tape" opens the album on an appropriate note, wedding a catchy melody to the story of a romantic gesture, but there's more at work here than silly love songs. "Stoop Sale," co-written with Belle And Sebastian's Stevie Jackson, lists items on the verge of being sold by a disgruntled lover--including, next to baseball cards and camping equipment, a "mix tape that he made her." The unfortunate protagonist of "Don't Fence Me Out" doesn't score much better, but the song reveals a pleasant country influence, even if it's drawn more directly from Cole Porter than Porter Wagoner. "Let's Fall In Hate," on the other hand, is a full-on, pun-riddled country duet with Laura Cantrell, and a good one at that; it fills out Shelley's power-trio lineup with steel guitar, and the sonic diversity serves him well. There's a faint air of menace in the way the guitar line of the otherwise sunny "Favorite Graduate" echoes "Don't Fear The Reaper," while the horn section of "Nine Lives" suggests time spent with the recent Stax box set. On the whole, however, the tone of Shelley's songs--endearing but not cloying--sets I Blame You apart, making it another fine recording from one of the most reliably entertaining singer-songwriters around. -Keith Phipps, The Onion This is Michael Shelley's fourth release and true to his talents, we
find him continuing his mercurial and quirky style in abundance. He has a
knack for well crafted songwriting and clever words. Each song comes
equipped with a strong riff that has the listener humming the tune for
hours afterwards. It's Alt/Pop in it's pure essence. Stoop Sale is about a
girl getting ready to sell her goods on her stoop: "Some things just can't
be sold". Dear Mr. Webster is about having bought this writers book: "Do
you sit at night on weekend nights with a pencil sharpened... you have my
pity Mr. Webster." Every song tells a quick little story that keeps you
smiling. "Michael Shelley didn't have a huge budget to record I Blame You, but
they say a good song is a good song, and nowhere is that more true than
here. "In a clever take on the boy-meets-girl trope, the album-opening "Mix
Tape" details how the boy "put on my headphones" and "stayed up all night
concocting this silly magnetic love letter, song by song" for the girl
after the two meet at a party and hit it off talking "in the kitchen about
music and all the normal questions." "...All you really need to know is that this album will leave a smile on your face and melodies that will linger in your head for days". -Jim Testa, The Jersey Journal Impish, earnest, catchy... like the character in his song, "Dear Mr. Webster," who is searching for the means to describe his true love's charm, NYC freeform radio DJ Michael Shelley eludes the proper adjective. Not quite singer-songwriter, not quite power-pop, Shelley is in turns clever, capable and craftsmanlike... His romances often seem like schoolboy crushes, the kind that require songs like "Mix Tape" to describe their inception, and "I Blame You" to outline their demise. In between, he enlists the help of fellow WFMU programmer Laura Cantrell to duet on the country-ish "Let's Fall In Hate..." and draws us in with one winsome melody after another... Nice, unpretentious pop, with jangly little undertones... check it out! -Joe Sixpack, slipcue.com A splendid, if quirky, mixture of British-styled pop and They Might Be Giants American-style wackiness. For the dozen tunes presented here, you get a feeling of too much fun, a mirthful blend of humor and solid songwriting. Part of the attraction is the clean sound, along with those vintage keyboards like a Farfisa organ and Mellotron, among others. Shelley knows how to craft a good song, and is quite adept at layering instruments and voices. When things build up, it's often the simple addition of backing vocals that help the swell. The disc features drummer Dennis Diken (Smithereens) and bassist Jon Lee (Mercybuckets) as the rhythm section. The production shines, which is impressive, considering Shelley did a lot of it in his Brooklyn apartment. Smart and fun, through and through. - NY Rock ...his third solo album, finds him once again crafting simple, engaging pop songs with an equal measure of hooks and charm. The opening “Mix Tape” is a near-perfect pop portrait of meeting a girl at a party, feeling the crush bloom, then staying up all night to create “a silly magnetic love letter” and perfecting the tape’s artwork to impress her. Elsewhere, Shelley poignantly examines what happens when the relationship doesn’t end happily (the girl sells the mix tape outside her apartment in “Stoop Sale”) and delivers a punchy, ’60s-influenced three-minute rumination on being tongue-tied in a letter to a dictionary author (“Dear Mr. Webster”). -Mark Woodlief, The Portland Phoenix A few years back I bought the Cheeky Monkey disc because Francis
Macdonald of Teenage Fanclub and Eugenious fame was half the band. The
other half was some guy named Mickael Shelley who I knew nothing about.
But together they made some really nice lighthearted pop music, singing
about hockey players and lost love with equal conviction and jaunty
melodies that were adored by my four-year-old son (that's a compliment).
Now Shelley has a solo disc and, while it hasn't yet won over my son (he's
listening to that Green Day song 25 times a day right now) I suspect it
will in time. NYC tunesmith Michael Shelley is a storytelling singer/songwriter in the vein of Freedy Johnston, whose country leanings he shares, and Tommy Keene. And I Blame You... finds him once again crafting simple, engaging pop songs with an equal measure of hooks and charm... ." -Mark Woodlief, The Boston Phoenix ...Overall, this is an excellent release that should garner some new fans for Mr. Shelley." -Scott Semet, At The Shore | |
Too Many MoviesHere's an article titled "Some Of Shelley's Blues" from Cincinatti City Beat site. Here's an article headlined "Songwriter shows sensitivity in songbook"! From The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Shoeshine is someone out of Teenage Fanclub’s label, and therefore is guaranteed to be rather wonderful, and, luckily, ‘Too Many Movies’ doesn’t disappoint. Kicking off with the languid, and often hilarious, ‘Baby’s in a Bad Mood’ Shelley has crafted and album of such vision, depth and humour that it’s hard not to become totally immersed in it’s world. Throughout Shelley tells the tale of lost love, fucked up relationships and human failings. Not in a syrupy way I hope you understand, just honestly, that’s all. Add to this some wonderful country-ish music, and what you get is an album that may sound hopelessly out of time, but is in fact as relevant as tomorrow. Fantastic. - Tasty "The follow up to his acclaimed debut Half Empty finds the Brooklyn ex-barman puzzling over the female cosmos. Recorded with help from Belle And Sebastian pop savants Stevie Jackson and Chris Geddes plus members of Glasgow's Radio Sweethearts, Michael Shelley's lyrical foregrounding and calculated whimsy overshadow the music's blend of goofy Richmanesque rock 'n' roll, virginal surfpop and Memphis soul. From a lesser mind things could get cheesy, but Sheley can sing "She took the longest bath I've ever seen and didn't even touch the dinner I made her" (Baby's In A Bad Mood) or be blown away by the Jigsaw Girl who "danced with cologne-splashed Latin men three times her age" and still sound delicately sour (imagine a danger-free Daniel Johnson). This paradox is most arresting on You Were Made To Break My Heart, a duet with NY country singer Laura Cantrell, and a starry-eyed doomed-love ballad. And only a spoilsport would scoff. -Robert Spellman, Mojo. Too Many Movies, the follow-up to Shelley’s ’99 debut album ‘Half Empty’, is a collection of songs about relationships, a fantastic pop album *and* a modern day classic... 5 stars" - James Moore, Drowned In Sound "Happy snappy, peppy catchy, pure pop craft" Time Out "Another batch of flawless pop confections highlighting his uncanny knack for great hooks and wry wordplay." Friday Morning Quarterback "He writes about relationships a lot--with intelligence, wit and a Beatlesque way with a hook that puts the singer in a class with only the best of the new pop revivalists." Ed Masley, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Too Many Movies is as charming and unabashedly catchy as any album released this year." Keith Phipps, The Onion "Shelley is a great songwriter, able to be funny without being goofy. His lyrics are sweet without being sappy." Kevin Rexroat, Seattle Rocket "Too Many Movies holds a wide variety of pop jems." Sharon Harrison, Transworld Snowboarding "Full of the kind of simple but engaging pop made by Jonathan Richman and Ben Vaughn...brimming with wary wisdom and road weary whimsy."Rick Cornell, The Raleigh Spectator "Shelley has got a great talent for light engaging pop songs that connect with everyday life in a frightening way.This record makes me wish i was in love." Chris Larry, Eye Deal "Michael Shelley has used his latest release to delve deep into matters of the heart. He does so with an incisive wit, and couches his observations in infectious country-tinged power pop.... Most of the characters in the songs are unlucky in love - guys who expect their relationships to be just like the ones they see on the cinema screen (Too Many Movies), whose new girlfriends never quite match up to the one they lost (She's Not You), and who fall for girls who are way too cool for them (Surfer Joan). The album's highlight is the wonderful Baby's In A Bad Mood which is told from the perspective of a man trying to keep out of the way of his partner's temper. There are also, at the heart of the record, a pair of dark but beautiful ballads, Sweet Little One and You Were Made To Break My Heart, and an instrumental Sluggo which inexplicably recalls The Wombles theme music..." J.L., Revolutions "A refreshingly light and, well, perfect pop album that serves as an antidote to the sometimes overbearing, yet often necessare gloom-pop of the last few years..." Gavin "Really good pop love songs are a lost art form but Michael Shelley resurrects it with a vengeance on his new record Too Many Movies..." Matt Springer, Pop Culture Corn "A MILLION songs have been written about relationships, but few come as close to the day-to-day realities as Baby's in a Bad Mood, the opening track here: "Well, it could have been something at work, or maybe a call from her mum ... I'll sit in the kitchen and I won't pick a fight, 'cos baby's in a bad mood tonight." A New Yorker, Shelley often sounds a lot like Elvis Costello, but without the snarl. The similarity is accentuated on some tracks by organ touches that call to mind the Attractions - but this is frothy pop, as likely to remind you of the Monkees as some angst-ridden new-waver. Occasionally, Shelley goes country, even bringing in the wonderful Laura Cantrell to duet on You Were Made to Break My Heart; but the essence of the man lies in pure pop moments such as the sublime backing vocal fade-out on Sweet Little One." Mark Edwards, The Sunday Times "Every singer-songwriter needs something to distinguish them from the herd. New Yorker Michael Shelley's shtick is more complex than a first hearing of his second album suggests. His choice of collaborators on the Scottish-recorded half of this album - minor members of Belle & Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub drummer Francis Macdonald - indicates a broader palette than his peers. These tracks, the countrified Lisa Marie and the contraception eulogy, The Pill, bubble along in the manner of a more focused Teenage Fanclub, packed with ideas such as handclaps instead of a chorus during The Girl With the Light in Her Eyes. The American half veers intriguingly from the faux punk of Surfer Joan to the ever-impressive Laura Cantrell duetting on You Were Made to Break My Heart. So far, so catholic, but Shelley's melodies always hold and he's a perceptive observer of domestic minutiae, particularly on the sweet Baby's in a Bad Mood: "I'll sit in the kitchen and I won't pick a fight . . . it could have been a call from her mum . . ." John Aizlewood , The Guardian. "Americana covers a variety of different sounds, one of which is that Fountains of Wayne/John Wesley Harding kind of folk-pop which some of us love and some of us are, well, indifferent too. Luckily, if you’re on the borderline of that cusp, the new Michael Shelley album should have no problem making up your mind in the right direction. The album consists simply of twelve three minutes (-ish) folk-pop songs which continually flow over into country (“Lisa Marie”) without ever sounding forced. The good thing is that the songs themselves are so strong and furiously work their way into your head without any relief along the way. But that’s only half the story. Tracks like the opening “Baby’s in a Bad Mood” and “Summer, I Pissed You Away” also have that rare spine-tingling quality, so clean is the instrumentation and so crisp the production. His cleverness with words to the point of ridiculousness might offend some, but it’s a small price to pay for the end result - “Too Many Movies” really is a delicious album full of character and literally falling over itself to be discovered - highly recommended."- Mark Whitfield, Americana-UK . He's back and this time it's personal - with songs about love, loss and brushing your teeth. "Sublime pop" -Sunday Times "When Michael Shelley's puppy dog vocals click against his poppy melodies and bemused lyrics about lost love he sounds like Nick Lowe fronting The Replacements" - **** Q Magazine "A fine collection of Beach Boys whimsy, country-rock tales and good old fashioned rock n roll shot through with sarcastic wit" The List "Full of winning pop moments...Shelley's influences shine through but frankly Nick Lowe would be proud to have written pure pop of the calibre of Think With Your Heart and Rollercoaster" The Herald |