New Album, Madam Mystic, Showcases Her Trademark Blues And Gospel-Based Style
AUSTIN, Texas — A fixture in Austin’s famed musical scene, prolific songwriter, and show-stopping singer Shelley King has released Madam Mystic, her 10th album on November 10.
This month, she has launched the album’s track, “Ring in the New,” to celebrate the holidays. The original song written by King, is a New Year’s Eve love story that unfolds 30 years of life well dreamed of and lived under Austin’s historic moonlight towers. The slow-burning ballad features Muscle Shoals style “love licks” by electric guitarist Will McFarlane (Percy Sledge, Bonnie Raitt) and beautiful high harmonies by award winning Texas musician Carolyn Wonderland.
Listen to “Ring in the New,” HERE
King has also been celebrating the holiday season on tour with Carolyn Wonderland and Marcia Ball. The trio have been taking the stage together on their “Home for the Holidays’ special engagements that the Austin Chronicle noted, “However you celebrate, there are few better ways to kick off the holiday season than with Austin legends burning through some seasonal tunes.”
At their December 7 “Home for the Holidays” show at House of Blues New Orleans, King, Ball, and Wonderland were chosen as “On The Road Again” artists receiving nearly $1000 in gift cards for gas. The program, launched by Live Nation and created with Willie Nelson earlier this year, helps with core travel expenses to support live music careers of talented artists as the music industry experiences unprecedented growth.
The final 2023 “Home for the Holidays” show will be Tuesday, December 19th at Austin’s The Continental Club (see tour itinerary below).
The single, “Ring in the New” which is impacting at radio now, is one of the 12 new tunes written or co-written by King on Madam Mystic. The collection confirms her command of “electric Southern blues and acoustic folk, revved-up Cajun country and rock ’n’ roll” (Dallas Observer) that has propelled her to “achieve the rank of Austin royalty” (Houston Press). At the same time, it unveils a deeper artistry, matured by her years of touring, recording, and electrifying audiences throughout and beyond the Lone Star State.
Most intriguing among these new elements is a broader, more philosophical influence, which both enhances and expands her sound. King says, “we’ve all been through difficult times. The last few years have given me a lot of time to consider what’s important and what binds us together. I write songs that might help people through the hard times and also songs that help people celebrate the good times. I want people to laugh, cry, love more, let go and be happy.”
The varied emotions of Madam Mystic are brought to life by King’s cast of exceptional musicians and friends. Steel guitar/dobro legend Cindy Cashdollar, whose solos hit the sweet spots on several tracks. Drummer Steve Amedée, keyboardist John Magnie, and singer Tim Cook draw from the synchronicity they achieved as members of The Subdudes. Along with the rest of her guests, they conjure whatever vibe King wants: the Stax-like funk of “You Got That Right,” the sauce, sass and strut of “Crash of Thunder,” even Magnie’s goofball kazoo solo on “Mississippi.”
Following her studies at Sam Houston State University as well as doing some musical theater and performing at local shows with her band, King relocated to Austin in 1992 where she gigged relentlessly and eventually earned her standing as a seasoned bandleader. The title track from her 1998 debut album, Call of My Heart, won “Song of the Year” honors at the Austin Music Awards in 2002 after being covered by Toni Price. King and her group won the AMA’s “Best Roots Rock Band” honors in 2005. And in 2008, the Texas legislature chose her as the first woman to be designated an Official State Musician of Texas.
The music press extolled her as well, noting how she “carries herself with the strength of a woman who knows how to step up and get it done” (KXAN.com). The Houston Music Review described her singing as “full of blues sensibility [and] touched with sultry sexuality,” while the Austin Chronicle added “King’s Earth Mama vocal omnipresence … trips the neon lights fantastic.” And Sweden’s Country Rock Specialisten summed it all up by concluding, “With her bold voice, strong lyrics and fine musicianship, Shelley King ain’t no shrinking violet.”
For more information on Shelley King, visit www.shelleyking.com.
Shelley King on Tour
Dec 12 – The Continental Club – Austin, TX (with Carolyn Wonderland)
Dec 17 – Armadillo Christmas Bazaar – Austin, TX
Dec 19 – The Continental Club – Austin, TX – Home for the Holidays: Marcia Ball, Carolyn Wonderland and Shelley King
Dec 22 – Hondo’s On Main – Fredericksburg, TX
Dec 26 – The Continental Club – Austin, TX
Jan 13, 2024 – Sandy Beaches Cruise – out of Ft Lauderdale, FL
Jan 27, 2024 – Winnsboro Center for the Arts – Winnsboro, TX (with Carolyn Wonderland)
