Search - Mary Lou Lord :: Got No Shadow

Bridgett M. (SingingInMySleep) from HOPKINS, MN
Reviewed on 8/30/2024...

I consider Got No Shadow to be a SwapaCD buried treasure. At the time of this review, 3 copies are available to order. I don't remember how I first heard Mary Lou Lord, but I hope I never forget how much I enjoy this album. It has a jangly, '60s/'70s folk-rock feel. I don't know if this is the best comparison I could make, but I think if you like the Bangles, you will probably like this. For me, "Western Union Desperate, "Lights are Changing" and "Throng of Blowtown" are some of the highlights. I like the entire album a lot, and typically feel compelled to listen to it more than once. Until I looked at the liner notes today, I mistakenly thought that it was comprised of covers that Mary Lou Lord and others somehow managed to make feel like a cohesive whole. She actually wrote or co-wrote about half the songs--even more impressive.

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Pure pop (for what that's worth...)

John O'Hara | Boston, MA USA | 06/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's hard to be Indie and still sell records, and therefore make a living. Mary Lou Lord may have shed her Indie skin by recording "Got No Shadow," but this overproduced (yet nonetheless enjoyable) album remains her finest, and one of my favourites. It doesn't matter who she covers or how much of a role she played in the production of the disc, the songs remain non-fattening caramel, taste intact, with whipped-cream on top. It's hard not to enjoy Lord's harmony and Eliott Smith's guitar on "Shake Sugaree," the most catchiest refrain I've ever heard on "The Lucky One," and the selfish sad sweetness captured on "Two Boats." The additional instruments on many of the tracks sometimes seem generic, or more softly, unneccecary, but every song bears a repeat listening, if you know what I mean. I don't buy that every instrument, solo, or influence came directly from Lord, but a good many of the songs are mature, and, in my opinion, help Mary Lou on her road to becomming a more polished, mature musician. With the exception of the Eliott Smith written "I Figured You Out," off of the otherwise sub-par "Martian Saints" EP, the pop gem "Got No Shadow" is Lord's finest to date. Suspend your disbelief and love "Got No Shadow.""

An overlooked gem

John O'Hara | 10/28/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great album by the kind of artist you really want to see succeed. It's packed with great songs--some moving, some fun, all interesting. I hope she's around for a long, long time. Unlike the poor genius who inspired "Jingle Jangle Morning"."