Michelle Malone will perform at Poor David’s Pub on May 12. The Atlanta musician has been a mainstay of American roots music for more than 30 years. She has built an award-winning career as a singer, songwriter, and road warrior.
On May 19, Malone’s SBS Records (Distributed by BFD Entertainment / The Orchard) will release Fan Favorites, Vol. 1 Unplugged. On the album, Malone revisits more than a dozen songs that have become staples of her nightly gigs. My favorite songs on the new album include “Feather in a Hurricane,” “Debris,” and “Blue Suede.”
The idea to record new versions of older songs arrived during the Covid-19 pandemic. She began performing stripped down songs in her living room, live-streaming them to audiences across the country. Old fans tuned in. New fans were made. Along the way, she received numerous requests for the songs that inspired her and guitarist Doug Kees to go into the studio to record stripped down versions which became Fan Favorites, Vol. 1 Unplugged.
The songs were, in essence, her greatest hits, and they sounded every bit as vital in her living room—where she strummed them alone, on acoustic guitar—as they did with a big, plugged-in band. Fan Favorites, Vol. 1 Unplugged celebrates Malone’s past while shining new light on her present. It’s not just a victory lap; it’s also a rebirth.
Michelle Malone
Malone’s music is ingrained in the soundtrack of the American South. It mixes the rebellious stomp of roadhouse rock ‘n roll with the raw grit of blues, the holy-rolling rasp of gospel, the slow-motion sweep of country-soul, and the organic warmth of folk music. Proudly based in Atlanta, Georgia, she spends much of her time on the move. Malone regularly crisscrosses the country to play 200 shows annually.
Recorded with guitarist Doug Kees, the new acoustic album trades the amplified dynamics of Malone’s studio work for a stripped-down sound that nods to the artist’s musical roots. Rolling Stone praised Malone’s album as “”raucous and jubilant alternating between soulful ballads and rowdy, riffy blasters.”
Doors open at 7:15 p.m. for Michelle Malone’s performance May 12 at Poor David’s Pub, 1313 Botham Jean Blvd. in Dallas. For information, visit poordavidspub.com.
