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Robin Denselow, The Guardian (London): “Showing off her vocal expertise means she’s in danger of losing her personality and edge even on a potentially tough song like “Streetcorner Ambassador.” The overall mood is of brassy good-time revivalism. It shows off her vocal range but not her emotions. She’s capable of more compelling work.”

Rose Rouse, The Times (London): “Not only are the photos more up-market but the music on her new album, Captain Swing, is much more blatantly produced and diverse. Musical reference points such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Bobby Bland and Hoagy Carmichael abound, which means her down-home direct approach has been severely compromised.”

Emily Mitchell, Time: Captain Swing is flossier: it was recorded in a Los Angeles studio, and five of the ten numbers have trumpets and saxophones tootling along. Too much polish for someone calling herself an anarchist?”

Noel Davis, Orange County Register: “Fear not. In fact, Captain Swing is more like a logical extension of Short Sharp Shocked than it is an abrupt about-face. Shocked replaces the dobro, mandolin and harmonica with trumpet, trombone, and sax, and she turns her subject matter from the plains of Texas to the streets of New York, but she is still a startlingly original voice at a time when almost every song on the radio sounds like the one before it.”

Bill Dalton, Illinois Entertainer: Captain Swing is a great album. It is different than her first, and in some ways better…a guided tour of American music conducted by one of the most expressive singers working. If anything, Short Sharp Shocked earned Michelle Shocked the right to try whatever she damn well pleases. And what she damn well pleases must mean a thing because it’s sure got that swing.”

Claudia Perry, Houston Post: “Michelle, please shut up. The cacophony of contradictions is deafening us.”

John Chambless, Daily Local News, West Chester: “Michelle Shocked must be laughing. Sassy, silly, and often brilliant, Captain Swing will further obscure just what Michelle Shocked is all about. And I’m sure she wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Steve Pick, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Shocked’s writing continues to grow, as she builds on her ability to extend metaphors and to draw meaning from personal experience. As good as Short Sharp Shocked was, Captain Swing is even better. The songs, mostly in jazz and blues styles, are more tuneful, the lyrics more compact, the production more intricate. Though it was never fair to lump Shocked in with the so-called folk revival spearheaded by Tracy Chapman and Suzanne Vega, this album should eliminate that possibility. Michelle Shocked has emerged as one of the most exciting new voices in pop music.”

Emmett Overby, Northern Illinois University Northern Star: “Her first album, The Texas Campfire Tapes, still stands as her best. Ideally, Michelle should have stuck with her old back-to-basics style. At least that way, she would retain whatever following she garnered from her first two albums. I can’t figure out why Michelle chose this new big band sound. It’s not exactly a current trend in popular music.”

FYI: Michelle Shocked and Poi Dog Pondering team up at the Arcadia Theatre (relocated from Bronco Bowl). 826-7554.

Homegirl Michelle Shocked returns Apr 6 for a concert at the Arcadia Theatre. The show has been relocated from the Bronco Bowl.