May 11, 2001
GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE
11
When every night is perfect
Michelle Malone's new CD has a more produced, less edgy sound
by Harriet L. Schwartz
Ask Michelle Malone to remember a live show where everything was ideal—the band was tight, the music was good, and she was connecting with the audience in a deep and
meaningful way. She'll give you an answer
that reflects both confidence and fierce devotion to her music and her audience.
"To me, it happens every night," she said in a phone interview.
"It's what I do and if I'm not connecting with the audience, then I shouldn't be playing, because that's what music is all about. You are trying to convey the feeling of each of the songs, and get everyone to have a good time. It's all part of that universal chord."
Though Malone says she is tired, she also sounds ready to explode out of the gate on tour in support of her latest release Hello Out There (SBS Records). The new album is Malone's seventh studio release. While her profound love of playing live is almost palpable in conversation, her love of the studio is more subdued, but equally as convincing.
"Live, I'm just trying to keep the energy and intensity up," she says. "In the studio, I'm trying to make everything as beautiful as possible. On this record, I wanted to
concentrate on the vocals and the melodies. I wanted to use vocals as a lush instrument. Instead of using strings, I wanted to layer with vocals. I wanted the songs to be beautiful, but still rock."
As a result of the new approach, Hello Out There may sound a bit different than Malone's other albums. The record has a more produced sound that on first listen doesn't have quite the edge of some of her other work.
Nonetheless, on closer listen, Malone's firm command of dynamics and ability to traverse and combine a range of styles still give the album plenty of attitude and richness. Malone says that she was thrilled to have producer Rick Beato handle a lot of the bass, guitar, and piano on the CD, allowing her to focus on vocals and guitar. She had played a lot of the instruments on her last studio album and ended up somewhat overwhelmed by the process.
Malone fans, as well as Indigo Girls fans who wonder what Emily Saliers has been up to lately, will enjoy "Sleep Sunday Morning," a song on the new album. Malone and Saliers collaborated on the songwriting as well as the recording.
"Emily and I had been talking about writing together for years," Malone says. "I had this song half done and it sounded like something that she might have written. So I gave it to her on cassette and she finished it and then gave it back to me."
Another musical connection that Malone is proud of is the one she shares with her mother, Karyn, who has been singing professionally throughout all of Michelle's life. Michelle credits her mother with influencing her vocal style. Her admiration for her mother is clear.
"I used to tour the clubs with her and I thought she was famous," Malone says. “When I got older, I realized that she didn't have a record, so I decided that we had to put one out." The result was The Cocktail Sessions, released on Michelle's own SBS records. Running her own label has suited Malone just fine. She had two stints with major labels, releasing an album on Arista in 1990 and another with Velvel in 1997. However between those releases, and since the 1997 release, Malone has chosen to command more definitive control over her music, on her SBS Records.
"It's empowering for me to put out my own records and it's fulfilling for me to play my own music [live] and have people come to the shows and enjoy it," she says. "There's this electricity when you just plug in your amp and let go, it's like plugging in your soul."
Michelle Malone will be appearing in Columbus on June 13, at Little Brother's, 100 N. High St, 614-421-2025; and on August 11 in Cleveland at a location to be announced. See www.michellemalone.com for more information.
Harriet L. Schwartz is a Chronicle contributing writer living in Pittsburgh.
"It's empowering for me to put out my own records and it's fulfilling for me to play my own music and have people come to the shows and enjoy it."
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