Lone Justice - Shelter

Artist : Lone Justice (Maria McKee)

Title : Shelter (1986)

Genre : Rock-Pop

Rating : ***** *** (out of 10*)

This Week I'm Listening To...
I came across this album in the $1 Vinyl bin at the Rock Zone. The album was put out by Geffen Records, who generally have good acts, so heck, what can you lose on a 1-dollar record, except for an hour of your time?

Lone Justice was a short-lived group. They put out an eponymous album in 1984. It was in the alt-country genre, and didn't sell well. Then the whole band quit, except for lead singer, Maria McKee. A bunch of session musicians were brought in, and the result was a pop-rock album, Shelter, in 1986.

Its sales were equally dismal, and the band (such as it was) was officially dissolved shortly thereafter; with McKee embarking on a long and undistinguished solo career.

What's To Like...
This is a surprisingly good album. Maria McKee sounds like an American version of Kiki Dee here. Lots of energy to go with an above-average voice.

The rest of the band may be sessions players, but they are given time & space to cut loose, and do so quite ably, blending in nicely with McKee's singing.

What's Not To Like...
Not much IMNSHO. Others claim the album isn't "alt-country" enough, compared to their debut LP, and that the production is "too slick".

Who is Maria McKee, and why didn't she ever make it big-time?
Shelter is probably mislabeled by calling it a Lone Justice album. This really should've been released as McKee's debut solo effort. Since then, she's put out 8 more studio albums, none of which I've heard or recall seeing. Her 15 minutes of fame comes from one of her tracks being used in that highly-acclaimed waste-of-film Pulp Fiction.

So how come McKee's never made it big? She's got talent, looks, and a great voice. Well, maybe she got off on the wrong foot with alt-country. That's a great genre, but what radio station is going to play it? C&W stations will find it too rock-ish, and Rock stations consider playing anything even remotely Country as a mortal sin.

Then there's the major genre-deviation with Shelter, from cow-punk rockabilly to pop-rock. There goes her initial fan base. It would be interesting to see if and how her music has changed over the ensuing 20 years. Alas, you won't find any Maria McKee albums at Best Buy, even now during the Christmas season.

Of course, there's something just a tad bit worrisome about having your whole band quit on you. Ask Tarja. So maybe McKee's rather ...erm... difficult to work with. Still, it's hard to figure out why she's remained in relative obscurity, while no-talent people like Christopher Cross garner 5 Grammy's, a Golden Globe, and and Oscar.

But I digress. Shelter is a good album, and it should've sold a lot better than it did. Let's put that down to poor marketing. If you come across this in the bargain bin at your local record store, pick it up and give it a listen.