Maverick Magazine – the new voice of country music
issue 70 • May 2008
NEW RELEASES
Michelle Wright
Everything And More
Savannah Music - SAV8123-2
It has been a long wait, but finally a
new album is here, and it is a cracker
I have loved Michelle Wright's voice and style of singing since the early 1990s, and I was extremely lucky to go and see her in concert at the Borderline club in London during the month of May 1995. Even though it was only a small venue, she played it as though it was a massive arena, and the show she put on was absolutely amazing, and will always be in my memory as one of my top live shows.
Now, it has also been a very long time since Michelle released a full country album, so to make sure that it was done right and true to her musical loves and beliefs, she called on two people who have a strong connection with her music. Her producers Russ Zavitson and Tony Haselden have been friends and business partners for eighteen years, and Tony wrote her big breakthrough hit Take It Like A Man, and Russ was the publisher that originally pitched that song to her. She therefore had complete faith in the two of them producing a knockout album for her… AND THAT THEY HAVE!
First track is the title song, which Michelle co-penned with Patricia Conroy and Gerald O'Brien. This is pure Michelle Wright material, as it tells of how she has been blessed with Everything And More; this comes from her work with World Vision Canada, and tells how she gains strength from the children and families she has met whilst visiting places like Africa and Honduras. Michelle also puts in a slightly spoken word/rap styled chorus line… almost like the w-rapping on a perfect song!
The same writing team penned the beautifully layered sounds of In The Blink Of An Eye, and Michelle's wonderfully emotive vocals carry the whole tune off superbly.
Joe Diffie's My Give A Damn's Busted is a fantastic inclusion on the CD; it is typical Diffie as it rocks your socks off whilst making you smile. Michelle also performs a quite gorgeous ballad about a subject possibly never tackled before in song. Love Me Anyway is all about women who have put their careers first, and then before they know it, the time to have children has passed them by. What could be a touchy subject is handled delicately and sensitively by Michelle.
Whilst on ballads, the country tearjerker I Don't Want To Be That Strong hits home hard, with Wright's touching and poignant vocals delivering the heartrending lyrics like an arrow through the heart. This is Michelle Wright at her best. DK.
maverick | MAY 2008
(Printed with permission of Maverick Magazine and
David Knowles, May 2008)
