Damn that Maria McKee can really sing. That may be the single greatest understatement in the first 370 post on this list. But really, if anyone can find a better way to express the sheer power, passion and presence of McKee’s vocal virtuosity, have at it. It was said co-Producer Little Steve (E Street Band) remarked that McKees vocal performance on “Inspiration” was the most powerful and passionate vocal he had heard since Bruce Springsteens “Adam Raised a Cain.” Mighty high praise indeed. And well deserved. More commercially appealing than the debut, Shelter infused a little more country rock and significantly less cow punk. It is better produced (in some spots a bit over-produced) and the songwriting is more accessible with superior ballads and a more consistent sound. It should have been the record to make Lone Justice rock stars. Rather, it became their swan song. I Found Love and Shelter were both that singles that just never broke through, though they ended being covered by a few CCM artists including Geoff Moore. But the real strength on this album is on the deeper cuts and ballads. Beacon, Belfry and Dreams Come True all rock with great guitar work and McKe’s emotive presence. And as mentioned earlier, Inspiration is just an emotional vocal tour de force with a once in a lifetime performance. The two side-ending ballads should also be noted. Wheels is a beautiful country song that should be covered by a more modern country female vocalist. The album closer, Dixie Storms, is just haunting and would point to the direction McKee would follow in her solo career.
Contributor David Lowman – https://ccms500bestalbums.wordpress.com/
Tracklist
1 – I Found Love – 4:15
2 – Shelter – 4:37
3 – Reflected (On My Side) – 4:57
4 – Beacon – 4:18
5 – Wheels – 5:05
6 – Belfry – 5:03
7 – Dreams Come True (Stand Up And Take It) – 4:06
8 – The Gift – 4:16
9 – Inspiration – 3:49
10 – Dixie Storms – 3:37
Credits
Acoustic Guitar [Additional], Rhythm Guitar [Additional] – Little Steven
Bass, Vocals – Gregg Sutton
Coordinator [Production Coordinator] – Janet Weber
Cover – Cooper Edens
Design – Kim Champagne
Drums – Rudy Richman
Engineer [Additional] – Bruce Lampcov, Don Smith, Greg Edward, Joe Borja, Nikko Bolas, Scott Litt, Shelly Yakus, Steven Rinkoff
Engineer [Assistant] – Craig Engel, Marc De Sisto, Michael Bowman, Rob Jacobs, Ross Stein
Guitar – Ryan Hedgecock, Shane Fontayne
Keyboards – Bruce Brody
Keyboards [Additional] – Benmont Tench, Charles Judge, Tommy Mandel
Lacquer Cut By – J. Webster
Management – Ice Cream Management
Management [Associate] – Tony Ferguson
Mastered By – Stephen Marcussen
Mixed By – Greg Edward (tracks: A4, A5, B1, B3, B4), Humberto Gatica (tracks: B2), Joe Chiccarelli (tracks: A2), Mike Shipley (tracks: A1, A3), Shelly Yakus (tracks: B5)
Photography By – Melanie Nissen
Producer – Jimmy Iovine, Little Steven, Lone Justice
Production Manager – Chuck Reed
Recorded By – Joe Chiccarelli, Robert de la Garza
Vocals, Guitar, Piano – Maria McKee
Companies, etc.
Distributed By – WEA Music Of Canada, Ltd.
Pressed By – Cinram
Recorded At – A&M Studios
Recorded At – Atlantic Studios
Recorded At – The Village Recorder
Mastered At – Precision Lacquer
Lacquer Cut at – McClear Place
Phonographic Copyright ℗ – The David Geffen Company
Copyright © – The David Geffen Company
Printed By – Ever Reddy
Published By – Little Diva Music
Published By – Little Steven Music
Published By – Looking-Glass Feet Music
Published By – Black Platinum Music
Published By – Agreeable Music
