Shannon McNally AND Jan Bell of The Maybelles

Tonight on Twisted South Radio are 2 of our favorite female musician/singer/songwriters. ShannonMcNally AND Jan Bell of The Maybelles.

At Shannon McNally’s musical core is mystery. Part of that mystery is conceptual as her writing reflects a hybrid spiritual center that taps into Native American beliefs with a hippie component and feet in the urban and rural worlds. That doesn’t mean her lyrics are impenetrable or psychobabble – far from it. They’re direct and familiar as she works with rock ‘n’ roll tropes and language, or, as in the case of “Thunderhead,” they’re startlingly concrete as she talks about giving birth to her daughter. But, as her solo show last night at Chickie Wah Wah demonstrated, her lines draw connections between the natural world, the spirit world, the physical world and the rock ‘n’ roll world in ways you don’t see coming.

Jan Bell-'Dream of the Miner's Child' is dedicated to my Grandad. The album has many special guests, including my band The Maybelles. I'm often asked 'What's an English girl doing in New York City playing country music?' I've set out to answer that question and tie together my Yorkshire roots, with the folk music and arts community I'm part of in America for the last twenty years. There are songs by emerging and established American and British songwriters; a couple of traditional folk songs; and a number of my own.