Michelle Malone - 1977 (2022)

A mainstay of American roots music for more than 30 years, Michelle Malone has built an award-winning career as a songwriter, road warrior, and modern-day guitar hero. Her music is ingrained in the sounds of the south, mixing the rebellious stomp of roadhouse rock & roll with the raw grit of blues, the holy-rolling rasp of gospel, the slow-motion swagger of country-soul, and the organic warmth of folk music. Proudly based in Atlanta, Georgia, she's always worn her influences on her sleeve but her music is unmistakably her own. With 1977, Michelle returns to her roots as a singer/songwriter. This is an organic, stripped-down album that finds her looking to the past to help make sense of the present. Informed by artists like Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, and Fleetwood Mac all of whom were mainstays on the FM radio during the late 1970s, back when Michelle first picked up her guitar and began to play along 1977 tones down the amplified bombast of her previous albums, focusing instead on a reflective mix of acoustic guitar, timeless melodies, and unforced arrangements. It's a reminder that Michelle Malone's songs always pack a punch, regardless of the decibel level. I'm a big fan of 1970s music, especially singer/songwriters from the Laurel Canyon scene, she explains. 1977 is the year I started playing guitar the year I started becoming ME so music from that era has always felt special. It takes me back to a place that was safe, sound, and comforting. That's the sound I was drawn to when I was beginning to write this record. "Michelle Malone has one of the most remarkable voices Ive ever heard, uniquely able to blow the roof off the place and then whisper a soft song that will break your damn heart." PASTE "Equal parts badass guitar slinger and sweet songstress, with masterful lyrical introspection sublime to raucous." GUITAR WORLD