by Clay Riness
Rural Iowa can be proud of many things. Corn and dairy production, good old-fashioned values, music. Well, to be fair, I suppose every state can be proud of its own home grown music, but that's another show. The great state of Iowa, which is the back drop for this essay, has a new member in its musical family, singer / songwriter Michelle Lynn. Born and raised the youngest of three on a farm near Monona, Iowa, she looks every bit the heartland farm girl, fresh-faced and beautiful, with long, dark Irish curls and a smile that could melt down the entire football team at Mar-Mac High School, and probably did. But she couldn't have been too typical a kid, because there is very little child in her writing.
Michelle's story is a rather remarkable one and it begins with the fact that she is just nineteen years of age and has only been playing guitar for a couple of years. Yet, she has created a debut CD entitled Jump Roping In Chains which gives us a serious look into who she is. It is a fearless collection of songs that strips away any pretension and hangs her deepest feelings out like laundry for the world to see. The album is quite sparsely produced, which seems appropriate for such personal writing, and helps listeners to appreciate the lyrical weight of the songs.
She confesses that she has always loved to write, a good thing if one is to become a songwriter. And, that she has always loved performing. It makes sense then, that she would connect the dots and begin performing her original songs for the public. She does so in smaller area venues such as The Acoustic Café in Winona, MN and McGregor Coffee Roasters in McGregor, among others.
Her singing style is folksy but contemporary, rather like Ani DiFranco in some respects. But what really makes the Michelle Lynn story worth noting is the interesting style in her writing. She claims some of the best influences in music...Dylan, Neil Young, Gillian Welch, Bob Marley. Yet, her songs are like none of these stellar word smiths. Thoreau once wrote: "If man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears." Michelle has taken in the messages from her favorite artists, but rather than copy them, has stepped to the music which she hears. Henry would be proud. She is an inward thinker with a knack for odd structure. Often her words come and go quickly, as fleeting as the thoughts she confesses.
Rural Iowa can be proud of many things. Corn and dairy production, good old-fashioned values, music. Well, to be fair, I suppose every state can be proud of its own home grown music, but that's another show. The great state of Iowa, which is the back drop for this essay, has a new member in its musical family, singer / songwriter Michelle Lynn. Born and raised the youngest of three on a farm near Monona, Iowa, she looks every bit the heartland farm girl, fresh-faced and beautiful, with long, dark Irish curls and a smile that could melt down the entire football team at Mar-Mac High School, and probably did. But she couldn't have been too typical a kid, because there is very little child in her writing.
Michelle's story is a rather remarkable one and it begins with the fact that she is just nineteen years of age and has only been playing guitar for a couple of years. Yet, she has created a debut CD entitled Jump Roping In Chains which gives us a serious look into who she is. It is a fearless collection of songs that strips away any pretension and hangs her deepest feelings out like laundry for the world to see. The album is quite sparsely produced, which seems appropriate for such personal writing, and helps listeners to appreciate the lyrical weight of the songs.
She confesses that she has always loved to write, a good thing if one is to become a songwriter. And, that she has always loved performing. It makes sense then, that she would connect the dots and begin performing her original songs for the public. She does so in smaller area venues such as The Acoustic Café in Winona, MN and McGregor Coffee Roasters in McGregor, among others.
Her singing style is folksy but contemporary, rather like Ani DiFranco in some respects. But what really makes the Michelle Lynn story worth noting is the interesting style in her writing. She claims some of the best influences in music...Dylan, Neil Young, Gillian Welch, Bob Marley. Yet, her songs are like none of these stellar word smiths. Thoreau once wrote: "If man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears." Michelle has taken in the messages from her favorite artists, but rather than copy them, has stepped to the music which she hears. Henry would be proud. She is an inward thinker with a knack for odd structure. Often her words come and go quickly, as fleeting as the thoughts she confesses.
