Michelle Billingsley Not the Marrying Kind Western Myth
Growing up in small town Michigan, Michelle Billingsley packed her bags and headed to Los Angeles to seek fame and fortune as an actress. Her life story mirrors that of hordes of young wannabees, following their dreams, only to quit Los Angeles, bruised and broken by rejection and failed romances.
Rather than allowing the sordid experiences to break her spirit, Billingsley dusted herself down, took stock and planned her next move. Moving to Chicago, where she presently resides, she revisited that period of her life and her younger years, to construct the ten songs that surface on NOT THE MARRYING KIND. The tales within the songs aim for the jugular and more often than not, score a direct hit. They are at times perturbing, seldom polite, more often than not irreverent and frequently amusing.
The written word across the ten tracks actually reads like poetry. Add Billingsley’s snazzy vocal delivery and the written words come alive. Sometimes singing and other times talking through the songs, her expressive and fetching drawl relates tales of heartache (Then I Remember), depression (Drink ‘till I’m Pretty), toxic parent issues (Mom Jeans), dysfunctional relationships (When Will You Learn, Gaslighting) and self-deprecation (Portia).
The playing - in the main contributed by producer Matt Brown - reinforces her vocals faultlessly. Touches of banjo, accordion, fiddle, guitar and drums all appear in the right places. If you’re looking for a category for the album, it sits comfortably between folk and country.
Artists such as Billingsley regularly fail to get noticed in an industry overpopulated by samey and ‘music by numbers’ recordings. NOT THE MARRYING KIND goes against the grain and is a breath of fresh air in that regard, bringing to mind another wonderful wordsmith, Minton Sparks. Billingsley won’t be nominated for a Grammy with this album but she possesses the skill set to shock, bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face, often all in the same song.
This is art as it should be - natural, thought provoking, jarring and most of all, entertaining. Well worth checking out.
Review by Declan Culliton