PRESS
frozenstarpalace (Release Date: Oct 31, 2006)
HARPRoots rock singer-songwriter Michelle Anthony moved from long-time home Milwaukee to Austin, Tex., in 2005 which might explain why she sounds so much warmer on her new EP. Mining a similar vein as Sheryl Crow on Tuesday Night Music Club, Anthony tended to be downbeat on her 2004 debut Stand Fall Repeat (as well as with her former band Capital 8). But the ice has thawed and she's ready to frolic in the green grass. Opening track "Lead Glass Tiffany Shades" bops along with Carole King-style sunniness, and while the title track make obvious reference to the frigid winters Anthony left behind, she sounds revitalized on he seven-song disc. - Steven Hyden (3/2007)
FEMINIST REVIEW
As a Milwaukee girl, I was eagerly anticipating hearing Michelle Anthony’s second album, the mini-LP Frozenstarpalace. Anthony recorded it as a document of moving from Milwaukee, WI to Austin, TX, and has described it in interviews as having a “Milwaukee vibe,” despite having been recorded in Milwaukee, Austin, Chicago and Los Angeles. You might think that the record would be uneven, having been recorded at so many different times and places, but that’s not the case. Anthony’s claim that the album is a year-long song cycle is a good one, as some songs reflect the cold Wisconsin winter, and others are sunnier and poppier.
Anthony’s music reminds me a lot of Aimee Mann; both women are rock with a pop twist, and their voices are similar in emotion and depth. Anthony’s album is both sad and triumphant, a story of a woman in the middle of a life change. Fans of Aimee Mann, as well as Carole King and Bonnie Raitt, both of whom Anthony has also been compared to, would be wise to check out Anthony, a well-hidden treasure.- Dana Reinoos(2/2007)
AUSTIN CHRONICLE
Michelle Anthony's *Frozenstarpalace (Merctwyn Records) grounds up its many recording sites (Chicago, Milwaukee, L.A., Austin) like the opening cut into this seven-song EP, "Lead Glass Tiffany Shades." That gives FSP a kind of untethered sound, even under the tutelage of producer Barry Goldberg, but Anthony's pro enough to let her music stand on its own. She loves her rock & roll ("Ugly Side"), yet doesn't hesitate to wax sentimental with "White Lies." - Margaret Moser (2/2007)
ALL MUSIC GUIDE
Michelle Anthony has a big, full-throated, blues-tinged voice reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt or Lou
Ann Barton, but she lacks much interest in plowing the same old roots rock field one might expect
from a singer with this kind of instrument. Aimee Mann's post-punk take on the '70s singer/songwriter
sound is much more what Anthony has in mind on her second album: the songs are inventively arranged,
with much prominence given to Anthony's own battery of keyboards, ranging from Carole King/Carly Simon
piano to the sort of oddball electric ornamentation that Patrick Warren uses to enliven Michael Penn's
albums. Anthony's band consists mostly of Robbie Fulks' usual sidemen, which adds an occasional alt-country
twang to tunes like "Hard Way to Lose," but on songs like the impassioned rocker "Ugly Side," which
sounds like a lost gem from the Learning to Crawl-era Pretenders, and the astonishingly Mann-like
"Aluminum," Anthony is making the AAA-radio scene her home, and it suits her. The only problem with
Frozenstarpalace is that at seven songs in just under 25 minutes, it's too short by half. - Stewart Mason
**** 4 Stars
THE ONION - A.V. CLUB
Singer-songwriter Michelle Anthony wasn't born in Milwaukee, and she left town for Austin more
than a year ago, but she is still a true-blue Milwaukeean. Moving here from Kansas City to attend
Marquette University, Anthony spent 10 years in local bands and clubs cutting her teeth with the
roots-rock quartet Capital 8. In 2004 she struck out on her own on Stand Fall Repeat, an
acclaimed CD produced by ex-Wilco member Jay Bennett that drew raves from alt-country Bible
No Depression and earned Anthony comparisons to kindred spirits such as Sheryl Crow and Sarah
McLachlan. Now Anthony is back with a new EP, frozenstarpalace, which was mostly written and
recorded before she moved to Austin in May 2005 with her husband Scott. (The title track makes
reference to the frigid winters the cold-averse singer no longer has to suffer through). Daring
to venture back ehre just as the six-month chill settles in, Anthony will celebrate the
release of frozenstarpalace with a CD-release show...(interview) (11/2006)
NO DEPRESSION
Michelle Anthony isn't Neko Case; that is, her voice isn't instantly compelling. Nevertheless,
she has the unaffected delivery of her Midwestern heritage and the ability, reminiscent
of Sarah McLachlan, to quietly insinuate herself
into the spaces between conscious thoughts. Her songwrtiting widens those spaces on Frozenstarpalace,
a seven-track EP that improves upon her strong 2004 debut Stand Fall Repeat. From the high-intensity country-rock romp
of "Ugly Side" to the Carole King bounce of "Lead Glass Tiffany Shades", Anthony rarely overthinks
lyrics and virtually never mismatches the moods of the words and the music. Some credit belongs to her
fellow musicians (including Robbie Fulks sidemen Grant Tye and Gerald Dowd) and engineers (including Barry Goldberg
and Jay O'Rourke), but the stark beauty of the ballad "White Lies," on which Anthony accompanies herself
with radiantly melancholy piano, proves she both holds and deserves the spotlight. - Jon Gilbertson (1/2007)
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS AND VIEWS (Miami)
Even though it’s of abbreviated length, the sophomore set from newcomer Michelle Anthony
strikes a fine line between sass and sensitivity. Indeed, it’s a mark of her versatility
and musical dexterity that she’s able to veer so adeptly between genres, playing the
sensitive songstress one moment and the brash, defiant rocker the next. Happily,
no matter which direction she takes, Anthony proves herself more than capable of setting
her stance and establishing an electrifying presence. She makes her mark early on with
opening offering “Lead Glass Tiffany Shades” which, despite its jumbled title, finds her
singing with a swagger and a jaunty, jazzy disposition. The title track follows, a
song that’s all sass and slide guitar, but it’s the two songs that follow -– “Ugly Side”
and “Aluminum” -- that find Anthony in a more studied setting, the former a study
in quiet contemplation, the latter a torch song ballad that becomes a riveting showcase
for her raw, emotional expression. “Hard Way to Lose” and “Chance” temper the vicissitude,
allowing the set to reach its conclusion with an easy lilt and carefree sway. In the hands
of another, this shift in sentiment might prove unnerving. However, in this case,
it’s merely the mark of an artist who can claim brilliance as part of her vocabulary.
-Lee Zimmerman (10/2006)
POP MATTERS
Michelle Anthony isn’t your typical singer-songwriter, although she does have enough chops
to earn that moniker, with songs like the bouncy, happy-go-lucky “Lead Glass Tiffany Shades”
that sounds like a cross between Carole King and Bonnie Raitt to some extent. Meanwhile,
the moody and mid-tempo adult contemporary pop of the title track is sure to bring to mind
artists like Aimee Mann and Natalie Merchant. It’s the fact that she can’t be penned down
that results in a very fine release, especially with the rowdier, roots rock of “Ugly Side”,
which is quite pretty. Anthony shows another side with the smart, poppy “Aluminum” that
relies more on her voice than it does the airtight, infectious, and winding melody.
Then there is the tender, bittersweet piano ballad “White Lies” that she nails perfectly.
And the same can be said for the delightfully low-key “Hard Way to Lose”. It’s a hard
release not to enjoy. -Jason MacNeil. (10/2006)
MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL (interview)
"Her voice, which quietly recalls Carole King at her prime and Sarah McLachlan at her most
subtle, comes closer to a honeyed fullness. Her instrumental work, primarily undertaken at the
piano, is no less deft."
LA DAILY NEWS Singer-songwriter Michelle Anthony follows her unjustly neglected 2004 gem, "Stand Fall Repeat," with the seven-song mini-album "*Frozenstarpalace" (Merctwyn), another solid effort that at times recalls the livelier Aimee Mann of a few years ago. (1/2007)
NO DEPRESSION BEST OF 2006 (message board poll)
CTRL.ALT.COUNTRY (Belgium)
Michelle Anthony wist ons al met haar door Jay Bennett geproduceerde debuutplaat
“Stand Fall Repeat” van haar niet onaanzienlijke capaciteiten als chanteuse en
liedjesschrijfster te overtuigen. Met donkere (alt.)countryballades zocht ze daarop
nadrukkelijk een plaatsje in het rijtje Welch-Williams-Moorer-Edwards. “Frozenstarpalace”,
haar nieuwste, plaatst haar in ander gezelschap. Ditmaal liggen vergelijkingen met andere
dames als een Aimee Mann, een Sarah McLachlan, een Tift Merritt, een Bonnie Raitt, ja zelfs
een Carole King meer voor de hand. De zeven nummers op die nieuwe, door de ondermeer van zijn
werk voor Fleetwood Mac bekende Barry Goldberg geproduceerde plaat worden gekenmerkt door een
nadrukkelijke pop feel, zij het dan ook her en der gekruid met een fikse snuif country soul.
Vooral de belangrijke rol die in songs als “Lead Glass Tiffany Shades”, titelnummer
“Frozenstarpalace” en de ballades “Aluminium” en “White Lies” weggelegd blijkt voor piano
en strijkers voedt die vaststelling. Het leukste nummer is wat ons betreft echter net het
voor de plaat atypische rockertje “Ugly Side”. Daarin botsen de werelden van Lucinda Williams
en K.T. Tunstall op bijzonder aantrekkelijke wijze op elkaar en dat weet ons precies daar te
raken waar we het graag hebben. (11/2006)
Stand Fall Repeat (2004)
NO
DEPRESSION (Town & Country)
"In the course of eleven songs, Anthony's voice moves with a melodic and
emotional sureness that recalls early Sarah McLachlan, though Anthony adeptly
mingles country and blues influences into her refined phrasing."
THE
PITCH (Kansas City)
If you were walking into a club, Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Michelle Anthony's
Louisville Slugger of a voice would hit you right in the ears, and so would her
Chrissie Hyndesque way of trailing off at the end of phrases. After a few tunes,
though, it would be clear that she has much in common with the cheerfully depressed
Los Angeles songwriting scene that cradled a pre-Magnolia Aimee Mann and her
hubby, Michael Penn. After all, one of Anthony's best tunes, "Mourning Song," is
a description of an anniversary. Her latest album, the existential Stand Fall
Repeat, produced by multi-instrumental svengali Jay Bennett, emphasizes Anthony's
pop sensibilities...Her bio mentions that she was born in "a distant suburb
of Kansas City" (DeSoto? Platte City? Omaha?). We need to claim her, fast.
F5
(Wichita, KS)
"Had Liz Phair gone to Los Angeles circa 1972 to make a record with Gram
Parsons and the members of Sheryl Crow's Tuesday Night Music Club, this might
have been the result."
DALLAS
OBSERVER
Blessed with a commanding voice reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde, Kansas City native
Michelle Anthony offers a bluesy take on alt-country, full of cynical wit and
post-relationship regret. Now residing in Austin and finishing up her sophomore
effort, Anthony's mix of urban soul and rural twang should appeal to fans of
Tift Merritt and Bonnie Raitt alike.
POP
MATTERS
"Her sound is an easy-going and world-weary mix of folk and Americana...This
record is definitely on par with Crow's The Globe Sessions, which is quite an
achievement for a debut!"
THE ONION
"For years, Michelle Anthony led the Milwaukee alt-pop band Capital 8, finding
a solid balance between bar-band fun and radio-ready sheen. Last year, Anthony
stepped away from the group to record a solo album that showcases songs with
a bit more depth. The result, a monstrously self-assured set called Stand Fall
Repeat, features production by Jay Bennett and songs that nod at Aimee Mann and
Sheryl Crow."
CHICAGO READER
"This Milwaukee singer-songwriter put a band together last summer as a side
project from her main outifit, Capital 8, but it seems to be edging toward front
and center. They've already recorded a debut alum with Jay Bennett; judging from
a four-song preview, it's polished yet rousing indie country rock, carried up
into glory by Anthony's singing, which reminds me a lot of Linda Ronstadt."
CHICAGO FREE PRESS
"On her debut "Stand Fall Repeat" (Burn & Shiver), co-recorded
by Jay Bennett (of Wilco fame) in Chicago, Michelle Anthony sounds a bit like
Chrissie Hynde on an insurgent country bender, particularly on "Don't Deny," "Radio
Waves" and "Analog Feeling." The product of a break Anthony took
from Milwaukee-based Capital 8, "Stand Fall Repeat" also features the
Wilco-esque "Family Tree," the bluesy rocker "Bubble Clock," the
fittingly tragic "Mourning Song" and the gorgeous closing track "Today."'
ALL
MUSIC GUIDE
"Stand Fall Repeat...offers more of the dark and somewhat dingy country
ballads that brings to mind Kathleen Edwards, Allison Moorer or Gillian Welch
if she was raised on a heap of alt.country albums...It's hard not to like!"
SLIGHTLY CONFUSING
TO A STRANGER
"...Michelle Anthony (& her band Stick Pony) is a cross between Laura
Nyro circa Eli/Gonna Take A Miracle, post-Jeremy Spencer, pre-Tusk Fleetwood
Mac, the Jayhawks and the Band..."Radio Waves,"...is a country-soul
GEM that'd be perfect for Lulu or the late Dusty Springfield..."Analog Feeling" is
droll, existential, rousing & soulful, like The Band playing The Replacements'
most power-poppingest song, sizing up Life like it should be sized-up, with no
headache...."
CDREVIEWS.COM
This is a top-notch first effort...Michelle deserves to have any accolades bestowed
on her that other outstanding female vocalists in her genre are currently enjoying...My
grade for Michelle: A-."
SHEPHERD
EXPRESS (Milwaukee) Interview.
THE
POST CRESCENT (Appleton, WI)
"The musicianship and songwriting are top-notch, but what really stands
out is Anthony’s beautiful, strong voice, which has been compared to Chrissie
Hynde, Liz Phair and Sheryl Crow. Those comparisons don’t really do her
justice."
EDWARDSVILLE
INTELLIGENCER
SANTA
MONICA MIRROR (Santa Monica, CA)
"Raised outside Kansas City, Anthony's luminous voice recalls the early
work of Chrissie Hynde and Lucinda Williams. Call it rock and roll with an alt-country
heart or vice versa...Play "Don't Deny" once and you won't deny twice
being a huge Anthony fan."
ROOTS
HIGHWAY (Seattle)
"One listen and you can’t deny that Anthony is one of the Midwest’s
best kept secrets. Grade: A"
ONMILWAUKEE.com
"...there is a lot to get excited about in Anthony's roots pop rock and
roll, from her melancholy melodies to her warm, all-American voice and from her
ability to master material both uptempo and mellow."
BLOGCRITICS
(New York)
(Review of SFR and live show at NYC's The Living Room)
"Anthony...has a powerful, rich voice reminiscent of Mama Cass or Ellen
McIlwaine...[T]he CD doesn't quite do justice to Anthony's voice, and I would
never have known that if I hadn't seen her live. That's not to say it doesn't
show she's a good singer: in fact, when I first listened to the disc I thought,
Thank goodness, a female singer-songwriter who isn't afraid to actually sing!
But she's stronger live..."
VITAL SOURCE
(Milwaukee)
"Michelle Anthony’s solo album Stand Fall Repeat showcases some of
the strongest girl-and-piano ballads since the appearance of Susan Tedeschi’s
Just Won’t Burn."
THE
COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNE (Columbia, MO)
"The singer, now based in Milwaukee, has a commanding approach that suggests
the influence of Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders. Her sound is part honky-tonk,
pop and rock. The acoustic riffs on her first full-length album, "Stand
Fall Repeat," coupled with her romantic overtures, also are reminiscent
of Sheryl Crow."
THE
SHEPHERD EXPRESS (Milwaukee)
"With influences ranging from The Pixies to The Pretenders, melody collides
with pop sensibility with hooks and catchy refrains."
AMERICANA-UK
"few will find too much wrong with this record which shines from note one. Fans of Alison Moorer, Kathleen Edwards and Sheryl Crow will find succour here, Anthony another of the big voice-winning smile brigade.
Highlights of the record include the opener 'Mourning Song' which borrows a chord progression from Spain's best song but kicks it into fresh territory and 'Ivy Rider' which has a killer chorus tailor-made for Anthony's strong voice."