HERE'S A TASTE OF WHAT THE CRITICS HAVE BEEN SAYING

Over the course of several albums, Detroit-born, L.A.-based singer-songwriter Michelle Penn has established her pop-rock bona fides with sturdy melodies and lush arrangements, but her new, self-produced disc, Red Five (Pissy Missy Music), is a quantum leap befitting the Star Wars association of its title. Not only are her songs sharper and more relentlessly catchy than ever, but Penn (who has lately been touring with the Go-Go's and Jason Mraz) has stepped up as one of the best singers in the genre. Her sweet, smoky voice inescapably suggests the great Chrissie Hynde, and Penn doesn't run from her influences; indeed, Pretenders guitarist Adam Seymour appears on Red Five and even offers a filigree from The Pretenders' "Cuban Slide." It isn't just Penn's timbre that recalls Hynde; she slides from steely defiance to melting tenderness with a similar ease.

Too many of today's pop singers, especially the female ones, favor breathy vocal affectations, histrionic phrasing, and the dreaded pronunciation of "me" as "may" (the long "e" tends to disrupt their pitch). But these shortcomings are merely symptoms of a larger problem: Radio's too-eager embrace of the super-young means that a high percentage of the voices we hear singing about deep emotions lack the life experience to say anything meaningful, let alone wring any nuance out of the sonic kibble their handlers feed them. Which makes Penn's knowing, womanly vocals such a breath of fresh air. With little fanfare, she packs real feeling and sensuality into every phrase — without ever distracting from the choruses of superb tunes like "I Know," "Think Twice," "Go Wrong," "Wake Up" and a handful of others that I defy you to get out of your head once they get in.

In fact, Red Five more or less redeems a subgenre (Hot AC, as it's known in the radio biz) I believed to be utterly exhausted. It's the sound of an artist who knows who she is and is now prepared to show the posers how it's done.

Last Laugh is a reflection of its strong-minded, warm-hearted, multi-talented writer/producer Michelle Penn.  Incorporating the musical skill of a couple of well-known and extremely talented musicians; Will Turpin (Collective Soul) and Andrew Carillo (Joan Osborn) on the project, Michelle Penn has combined her impassioned guitar artistry with a set of vocal chords that could melt your soul with fervent heat...into a down-to earth, the-girl-can-rock, auditory display of excellence!

• Highlights include:
  "Think Twice" (track #1) for the soulful, heartfelt melodies.  The vocals will catch your interest with the subtle Aimee Mann characteristics.
• "Out of the Blue" (track #2) for the killer syncopated guitar hook.  More excellent vocals displaying more of a Chrissie Hynde tone.
• "Good" (track #30 for the parallel major/minor modal interchange through the verses.  Very cool.
• "Avalon" (track #6) for the tougher, gritter sounding Sarah McLachlan style vocals over a Counting Crows musical atmosphere.  Wonderfully unique.

In a time when it is extremely rare to pop in a CD and find that you truly enjoy every track - Michelle Penn has given us this opportunity...flawlessly...with LAST LAUGH.

As all you Portlanders know, especially those who slave indoors at work and can't wait to get outside for lunch, we are fortunate to have the free noontime lunch concerts all summer in Pioneer Square.  The Noon Tunes Concert Series brings a varied bunch of bands and artists to town who get to play to a built-in, appreciative audience.  Guster, who were here in town for a show a couple weeks ago were real glad to get the opportunity to play Portland one more time in front of a totally different audience.

The show we caught on August 7th was by Michelle Penn an unsigned, independent singer-songwriter from L.A. by way of Detroit. Although we hate to pigeonhole artists here at the Base we thought that her upbeat, hooky pop songs reminded us most of Chrissie Hynde when she was still backed by the original Pretenders, you know, her greatest period!

The concert series is presented by Volkswagen and before you jump to conclusions about large car companies sponsoring shows you should look a little closer. We talked to Michelle after her show and discovered that she is one of the artists VW is sponsoring as part of their overall campaign to help audiences discover new unsigned artists through RadioVW (http://www.radiovw.com). Michelle introduced us to VW's Tesa Aragones, the person responsible for including Michelle in the RadioVW campaign. She told us that "putting Michelle on RadioVW was a no brainer. Her music is distinctive, her story inspirational and her passion for what she does is absolutely contagious."

OEbase agrees, so check out Michelle's self-released CD Last Laugh and let's hope that more companies have the foresight to help unsigned bands get in front of audiences. That way we could live without the label system.

SAN DIEGO, CA Michelle Penn turned out to be the optimal opening act for The Go-Go's with her fiery set of straight ahead rock. Blessed with a full-bodied voice that is smoother than Melissa Etheridge, yet not quite as deep as Joan Armatrading, Penn -- who also plays all her own lead guitar solos -- won over the audience with her straight-to-the point songs and spunky Midwestern charm. With a half-hour set that pulled many gems from her latest "2 Good 4 U" album, Michelle Penn (much like the Go-Go's) is one sister who is perfectly capable of doing it -- and doing it well -- for herself.

With a dab of help from some top-notch players, Michelle Penn delivers a thoroughly gratifying third album, a record that radiates a confidence and energy burnished over years of live touring. "2 Good for U," laden with propulsive rhythms and thick, jangly guitars, lights a fire under Penn's salt-of-the-earth songwriting. Ferndale producer-engineer Al Sutton manned the boards for the 11-track project, which includes contributions from top session guitarists Todd Wolfe and Jeff Cease. Penn's got a potent voice that's capable of hammering out throaty blues yowls and then seamlessly delivering smooth pop inflections. The music's just as versatile, with the haunting neo-blues of "Hollywood" packaged beside the rich power pop of "Want Me."

On her third album 2 Good 4 U, Michelle Penn has taken the best of her qualities as a personal songwriter, penning not the broken-hearted tales but also of the value and strengths of getting over them. On electric, rhythm, acoustic and slide guitar, Michelle treads the guitar folk of Shawn Colvin with a bit of the snappy attitude of Sheryl Crow. Recorded among four Detroit studios, 2 Good 4 U's production is tight and free at the same time. Where Michelle's light rock voice really flourishes is on her ballads like "Avalon" and "Why Do I." Avalon's sparse keyboard trickles slide around Michelle's vocals as you picture her, closing her eyes, felling every moment of the song. The title track "2 Good 4 U" is Michelle's glowing moment. The song starts with a bass drum kick and a great layered vocal chorus, and once again Michelle puts more whispers into her voice, and an incredible environment surrounds a song that could easily be marketing on radio.
- Shannon McCarthy

Michelle Penn has led a bit of the life of a wanderer since relocating from her native Detroit Michigan to Atlanta in 1994 to begin her songwriting career.  She dropped her debut platter, the appropriately title Running From The Seasons, on Atlanta in 1995, then later headed to greener pastures – for singer/songwriters that is – of Nashville, TN to record and release her sophomore recording, How Do You Live.  In 2000, she returned to Detroit to record her third CD, 2 Good 4 U.  Now, early 2001 sees the return of the troubadour to Atlanta, to release and promote that latest recording on a national level from the city in which she’s attained the most success.  With each release Penn’s songwriting has gotten more mature, and her vocals stronger and huskier, although not gritty.  She’s also added more instrumentation with each release, including on this effort – her most rocking yet – Wurlitzer, give the recording a rich texture.  She once again backs herself up with a stellar cast of musicians, including Todd Wolfe (Sheryl Crow), Jeff Cease (Black Crows), and Brandon Bush (John Mayer) –who despite their own abilities never steals the limelight from Penn.  The guitar work here, mostly handled by Penn, is solid and melodic throughout, especially on the chug-chug-laden, rhythmic lead off “Why Do I.”  On several songs here, lyrically Penn questions and doubts here career choices and ambitions, such as on the melodic sing-along, “Superstar.”  “You had a choice/Now you’re selling out your soul/Did your heroes know/That it’s all a show?”  On several others she questions love, and/or the lack there of, such as the aptly named title track, or the heartbreaker “only Lonely.”  Other highlights include the stars in your eye rocker wanna-be tale “Hollywood,” and the starkly effervescent “I Will.”  But the real standout here is the Shakespeare themed “Avalon,” on which her heart on the sleeve lyrics and enthralling vocals beg for repeated listens.  The production is solid throughout the entire recording.  The songs are easily accessible and memorable and the all contain large, meaty hooks, both lyrically and musically.  2 Good 4 U marks return of one of Atlanta’s best.

"A highly enjoyable disc of passionate rock songs that build to choruses you'll be singing along with after one or two listens. The Detroit-born Penn, who recently relocated to Nashville from Atlanta, is a gifted songwriter who takes dark subject matter and rocks it up to where rainy days almost seem preferable. After catching her first Nashville show at 12th & Porter last month, I can also say that Penn is a fine guitar player and an entertaining performer. Songs on this record such as "Good" and the title cut are among the best rock music I have heard any female in this town producing. The drop-dead gorgeous ballad "Not Lovin' Anybody" would be a huge hit if it were released as a single today by any number of female singers in rock or country. I'm crossing my fingers that we see a lot more from Penn. Her music would be a natural for Lightning 100, but they're too busy playing The Police and Santana to notice."

"Raise a glass to living fast/To who you are, may it last," sings Michelle Penn in "Good," the mid-tempo rocker that opens How Do You Live, and although many of its lyrics are bitter and accusatory, this record is indeed well worth toasting. Penn herself played all the guitar parts here, ranging from the crunchy, furious attack of the title track to the lovely chiming notes of "Here I Go." Will Turpin of Collective Soul plays bass on one song and sings backup on several others (most noticeably on "How Do You Live") but the superstar sideman never steals the spotlight from Penn. Her voice drops to a dramatic whisper during the portentously powerful "Not Lovin' Anybody," with Chuck Hughes subtly adding piano and organ in the background, and Penn pulls off a talk/sing rap in Chrissie Hynde style through "Save My Live," with Martyn Kearns handling the keys. Kearns also provides some exceptionally smooth organ work on "Cold World," the only song on the disc with understated guitar. A trumpet and what sounds like a sitar make experimental appearances during "Drown," but Penn's finest moment - and the CD's unparalleled highlight - is an inferno of uncompromised hard rock called "House of Blues." No, despite the title, it's not about the Dan Aykroyd's now-you-see-it-now-you-don't Centennial Park steakhouse; rather, it's a high-octane rocker about lost love, with positively searing fretboard licks and a vocal performance just as incendiary. How Do You Live is a triumph of genuinely electric performances - so yes indeed, Ms. Penn, raise that glass to who you are....and, by all means, make it last.

Michelle Penn is a busy gal. The guitarist-singer songwriter is calling from the airport in Atlanta, getting set to fly home to her native Detroit for a show this weekend.  "I sort of live between both places," says Penn, who is playing the Magic Bag this weekend in support of her latest release How do You Live, a 10-song CD of originals released on her own Pissy Missy label.  "It's always good to come home," she says. "I get to see my friends, my family, there's always plenty of free food!" Decidedly a rock singer, Penn's vocal style dwells somewhere in the realm between Chrissie Hynde and Christine McVie. Both commanding and, at times, elegant, she steers clear of the sappy stuff.  "My songs are about relationships," says Penn, "about my daily contact with people. It's cheaper than therapy."

In this era of doe-eyed chanteuses, who, when not baring their near-anemic hearts on Lilith fair stages, show up to awards shows in gowns that cost more than their recording budgets, no-frills rocker Michelle Penn is here to remind us that sisters who are really doing it for themselves are in the bar-room trenches, not sipping Evian on stair masters in their tour busses. As leader of the usually-a-trio Michelle Penn Band, the Detroit-bred/Atlanta based guitarist/vocalist has been writing and performing in the not-quite-chic world of public radio darlingism and bar band survivalism for five years now. It's to MPB's credit that it can mix the art with the attack. MPB's new CD How Do You Live is full-on, full-lunged rock for grown-ups. Recorded with blast-first know twiddler Al Sutton and featuring John Mellencamp drummer Mike Dupke, How Do You Live shows Penn's no pretender to the throne of Chrissie Hynde and company. Her vocals share the CH trademark, nicotine immediacy souring into back-of-the-throat vibrato highs and even share Hynde's knack for clever testo-estro wordsmithing ("I walk in your shadow/So you can't see me"). But it's Penn's guitar playing that does a good share of the belting, from the stomach-dropping chug of "Good" to the smoldering sitar (!) of "Drown."

Rock stars from Eric Clapton to the late Kurt Cobain have been reinvented on MTV (and have sold millions of albums) just because they picked up an acoustic guitar. Going "unplugged" may have been a savvy career move for them, but standing before a crowd with nothing but a trusty six-string and a big smile is business as usual for a growing number of singer-songwriters who call Atlanta home.
On almost any night, you can hear music at clubs such as Kalo's the Freight Room and the Red Light. To catch the crème de la crème of the scene though, Eddie's Attic on the weekends is the place to be. The small Decatur club is where the next generation of troubadours--such as Mathew Kahler, Shawn Mullins and Michelle Penn--showcase their talents, while adoring audiences sit in hushed reverence before the upper-room stage that has become something of an altar to song....

"I've left my singer-songwriter days behind me now" says Michelle Penn in our first conversation in over two years. This is news. Penn moved to Atlanta from Detroit several years ago and recruited some of the most visible acoustic talent in the city - DeDe Vogt, Don Conoscenti, Uncle Mark Reynolds - for a project that became Running From The Seasons, the quintessential singer-song writer album. That was 1994.
Then she left town for Nashville. "I moved so that I could get more connected to the industry and do some networking," says Penn. "You know, the big three are New York, Los Angeles and Nashville, and Nashville was the closest.
"I was also kind of at a standstill as far as playing shows here, and since I was working on the new album, I wanted to get away so I could concentrate on writing."
The change of venue has evidently worked in Penn's favor, giving her the opportunity to plug in a more literal sense as well. If the first CD took on a lot of the introspective, quiet qualities so common here, the new disc, How Do You Live, lets Penn make a more much louder and more effective noise.
" I started out playing electric in Detroit, but when I moved here I just did the acoustic thing. That was fine, because it taught me how to write songs, how to do harmonies," she says. Penn has written all the songs on both albums, and her basic approach to songwriting - verse, chorus, bridge - hasn't changed much in the intervening years. But the introspection, even tentativeness, of Running has been routed by jangly power chords that provide room for Penn's rich voice to stretch out and get comfortable. "I was always able to pull that out," she says of the new guitar sound, all of which is her own work, "but there wasn't much need for it before. I like to play tasty stuff, and I got a chance with the new tunes to play around myself, my singing and my melodies."
"I hated playing alone, because most of the time I was scared to death. Then I started bringing up a bass player or conga player to play with me, and it was better because the audience wasn't just watching me. It was a lot more fun."
It sounds more fun. The first single from How Do You Live, titled "Good," features Collective Soul's Will Turpin and sets the stage for hard-edged, but harmonic, pop. Big names notwithstanding, though, the goods really come halfway through the ten tracks with the driving intensity of "House of Blues." You just know there's a story behind this one. Penn's not about to tell me, though. "Yeah, there's a story. It's not pretty. None of them are pretty." Pretty stories or no, Penn is ready for a breakout with How Do You Live, released on her own Pissy Missy label. "I'm spending most of my time trying to get airplay right now, and the reception has been pretty good. We started the release shows in Detroit, and we're on one of the major stations up there. We're on the radio in Nashville, too, so Atlanta's next. We've got and interview with 96 Rock and we're working on 99X.

Michelle Penn, the Atlanta-based singer/songwriter, has a rugged, honeyed voice somewhere between Chrissie Hynde and Rosanne Cash, and writes tough, hooky roots-rocking songs that are custom-made for tearing up smoky clubs. She can be sweet or sassy, often in the same song, but always performs with passion and enthusiasm. Penn's a seasoned live performer and has played every venue in Atlanta often enough to have earned her headlining status.

"I am so passionate about the music we play-especially the newer stuff-and I’m glad we can expose songs like these on New Adventures In Hi-Fi,” says WDVD (96.3 DVD) – Detroit MD Ann Delisi. The Modern A/C’s new music show runs every Sunday.  “I get a lot of email requests for it.  I continue to champion local artist Michelle Penn’s music-someone needs to sign this girl!"