Later in her career, she gave shows on short notice at small clubs across the country where few people even knew her name. After spending most of the advances from the Lone Justice records, McKee admitted in a 2006 interview that the high point of her career was "being able to make any kind of music I want to in the world...Of course I'll never be rich and famous, but if I can make a living and keep making records, I'm in the one percentile, because not many people can do that anymore."
last.fm
Maria McKee (1989, Geffen Records)
Although somewhat overproduced in the smooth style of the late '80s and early '90s, Maria McKee represented a transformation from struggling country rock front woman to confident band leader and principal songwriter. McKee's vocals are flawless and unrestrained on this record, but only about half of the songs demand repetition. By the end of the album, the scribbled slate of McKee's career had been wiped clean, allowing her to put Lone Justice and all of the pressure that came with it behind.
In a 2007 interview with Paste, she said that the music of Lone Justice was simply the closest she had been able to come in the search for her ideal sound. She stated, “I always felt a little bit confined by the roots thing, because it’s not really my personality. I’m not like some hayseed; I never really was. Lone Justice was a passion for me because I was searching for white soul music that I could sing without feeling guilty.”
In an interview with Adios Lounge, she admitted the reason for her change in style and break from Lone Justice:
“After that I just felt like, ‘This is a lie, this isn’t a band. I’m just gonna go solo, fuck it.’ So, that’s when I ditched the band name and kind of did a reactionary left turn from the whole arena rock thing and made a very quiet, sort of mature record. Which I love, I love that record.”
Two of the songs on this album define McKee as an artist: "I've Forgotten What it Was in You (that Put the Need in Me)" and "Am I the Only One (Who's Ever Felt this Way)". The looping rhythm guitar in the background of "I've Forgotten" reminds me of the backing riff in "Shelter," and McKee tells of an honest brand of guilt that stems from a loss of interest in a romantic partner. "Am I the Only One" tells the reverse side of the story by wrapping lyrics tightly around the melody: the story of the partner who "lent my soul to love, and it paid me back in change." The final song I'll touch upon from Maria McKee is "Panic Beach," which must have been inspired by Bruce Springsteen's "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" because of the way both songs make caricatures of local inhabitants and equate the beach as a place of both opportunity and loss. Loosely jangling guitars and theatrical dynamic shifts make both songs sound like twisted, urban fairy tales.
On her second solo album, McKee reunited with former bandmates Marvin Etzioni, Don Heffington, and former boyfriend Benmont Tench and finally struck a balance between slick production and the rootsy Americana sound Lone Justice was known for. The album included a couple songs written solely by McKee, including the soaring anthem of a young soul approaching middle age, "My Girlhood Among the Outlaws". The album also included two obscure Van Morrison covers. One, "My Lonely Sad Eyes," was from his days with his early Irish band Them. I've always loved that song-- the cascade of notes in the introduction reminds me of a glass of champagne-- the "sparkling wine" alluded to in the opening verse; I used to run to it in the summers at my cottage, so it also reminds me of sun drenched evenings by the lake. The other, "The Way Young Lovers Do," is from Van Morrison's critically acclaimed 1968 album Astral Weeks. After listening to McKee's interpretations, I realized that her voice is probably the closest female counterpart to Van Morrison's effortless and nearly trance like style. Arguably the strongest track on the album is "I Can't Make it Alone," which was written by Brill Building hitmakers Carole King and Gerry Goffin. The opening line describes the arc of McKee's career: "Now you know me/you know how proud I am. And what I've got to tell you/won't be easy to say."
The album was (by McKee's standards) heavily promoted and earned the best reviews of any album over the course of her career. However, like her previous releases, the triumphant album failed to make her the star many people still believed she had the potential to become.
Phase Two of McKee's solo career began with an unexpected transition into the world of alternative glam rock and, eventually, acting in and writing songs for her husband's independent films. Stay tuned for the next post, which will be coming soon.
In a 2007 interview with Paste, she said that the music of Lone Justice was simply the closest she had been able to come in the search for her ideal sound. She stated, “I always felt a little bit confined by the roots thing, because it’s not really my personality. I’m not like some hayseed; I never really was. Lone Justice was a passion for me because I was searching for white soul music that I could sing without feeling guilty.”
In an interview with Adios Lounge, she admitted the reason for her change in style and break from Lone Justice:
“After that I just felt like, ‘This is a lie, this isn’t a band. I’m just gonna go solo, fuck it.’ So, that’s when I ditched the band name and kind of did a reactionary left turn from the whole arena rock thing and made a very quiet, sort of mature record. Which I love, I love that record.”
Two of the songs on this album define McKee as an artist: "I've Forgotten What it Was in You (that Put the Need in Me)" and "Am I the Only One (Who's Ever Felt this Way)". The looping rhythm guitar in the background of "I've Forgotten" reminds me of the backing riff in "Shelter," and McKee tells of an honest brand of guilt that stems from a loss of interest in a romantic partner. "Am I the Only One" tells the reverse side of the story by wrapping lyrics tightly around the melody: the story of the partner who "lent my soul to love, and it paid me back in change." The final song I'll touch upon from Maria McKee is "Panic Beach," which must have been inspired by Bruce Springsteen's "4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" because of the way both songs make caricatures of local inhabitants and equate the beach as a place of both opportunity and loss. Loosely jangling guitars and theatrical dynamic shifts make both songs sound like twisted, urban fairy tales.
geocities.jp
You Gotta Sin to Get Saved (1993, Geffen Records)
The album was (by McKee's standards) heavily promoted and earned the best reviews of any album over the course of her career. However, like her previous releases, the triumphant album failed to make her the star many people still believed she had the potential to become.
Phase Two of McKee's solo career began with an unexpected transition into the world of alternative glam rock and, eventually, acting in and writing songs for her husband's independent films. Stay tuned for the next post, which will be coming soon.
