As her stage name suggests, alternative-folk singer Michelle Shocked is fond of surprises. Many of her studio albums, from 1989's <i>Captain Swing</i> (which she recorded with a full big band) to 2005's <i>Got No Strings</i> (a collection of bluegrass-leaning Disney covers), have arrived as total curveballs. Perhaps the most surprising thing about her latest album, 2009's <i>Soul of My Soul</i>, then, is that there is no surprise. It's Shocked's poppiest, most straightforward record. That doesn't mean Shocked has lost her edge or her activist ideals, though. Last November the singer-songwriter was arrested while protesting with the Occupy Los Angeles movement.
Michelle Shocked
Tonight @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
