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Country Music People Magazine UK -5 stars

"A new singer who is born to write and sing country songs."

Not The Marrying Kind is a great introduction to a talented new country singer. On her debut album

Michelle Billingsley has written all the songs and has already been compared with Nancy Sinatra and Neko Case but is a lot more country than anything created by either of them in recent years, or more likely ever.

The first track is an absolute cracker. Portia is one of those timeless country songs with a warm melody, a sympathetic backing track and a superb vocal. The song is under two and a half minutes but really makes a mark. Plus, it lingers in the mind. When Will You Learn is a neat mix of dark Americana and country. This song comes with a side-order of 1960’s guitar. The best things about When Will You Learn are the very well-written lyrics - which need to be heard - and the quality vocal.

Once In A While is a duet with Michelle Billingsley joined by a male voice whose name is not credited on my downloaded copy. The simple arrangement highlights the voices and the song has a country melody and a hint of John Prine. We also get a wonderful country-blues track Kangaroo Court. This atmospheric song has sharp-as-a-tack lyrics.

So what is Gaslighting? It’s a form of emotional abuse and manipulation quite often perpetuated by a narcissist. It’s also a powerful song written and sung by Michelle Billingsley. In the song the phrase “I did nothing wrong” is repeated many times. The track has a fine country tune.

Also featured on the album is the melodic, acoustic country of Drink ‘Til I’m Pretty. This is a superb drinking song and the vocal has an edge to it. She’s Gone has an engaging backing track featuring banjo and steel guitar and the song lopes along with a certain style.

The final track, Then I Remember, is another timeless song which completes the musical circle. Here jazz and country combine in a wonderful manner. With a strong melody as well it makes a great way to end the album.

I have been reviewing albums for CMP for quite some time, during which, in my humble opinion, women have added more to country music than the men. As further evidence of that we have Michelle Billingsley’s stunning debut disc Not The Marrying Kind. Here is a new singer who is born to write and sing country songs. The debut is confident, mature and the lyrics have real depth.

Plus, lets not forget the wonderful melodies and the very high entertainment level reached here.

Producer Matt Brown has also done a fine job and also plays several instruments on the album including a banjo.

Michelle Billingsley - don’t forget the name - is now at the top of the country music mountain. If she continues to produce incredible music like her debut she maybe be there for many years. An important new voice has arrived.

Review by Paul Riley

MiCHELE BiLLiNGSLEY - Not The Marrying Kind C’est son premier album. Elle l’a entièrement composé. Originaire du Michigan, elle était auparavant interprète dans des clubs de Chicago. Jusqu’au jour où elle s’est dit que, elle aussi, elle pouvait écrire ses propres chansons. Le résultat est là, et bien là ! Dès la première écoute, on est emballé par l’atmosphère simple et authentique de l’album. Et le résumer à un album de country, est une limite à dépasser. Des chansons folk (Once In A While), de la country au parfum cosmique (Kangaroo Court), du jazz comme elle chantait en club (Then I Remember)… Même si l’ambiance peut sembler tristounette, c’est au contraire chaleureux et d’une grande humanité. On pourrait s’imaginer partager l’écoute près d’un feu de bois entre potes. Un genre de “feel good” album, comme on qualifie ces films qui vous font vous sentir léger. Sans être idiot. Elle se dit émule de Leonard Cohen et d’Emmylou Harris. Je pense que Michelle a le talent pour faire honneur à ses maîtres.

- Jean-Michel Iacono

Raised in small town Michigan, a musical career was not Michelle Billingsley’s intended life journey. As a young aspiring actor, she headed to Los Angeles with stars in her eyes and dreams of leading roles and Oscars. Things did not go to plan and she departed L.A. with broken dreams, and quite distressed. She changed artistic direction and rebuilt  her confidence, committing her life experiences to song on her excellent debut album, NOT THE MARRYING KIND. Her tales of dysfunctional relationships, depression, toxic parent issues and heartache are superbly written, often shocking, and occasionally hilarious. Michelle explained the background and history of the album when we caught up with her recently.

LH: Was music a part of your life as a child in Michigan?

MB: No, I didn’t get that storybook upbringing. If the radio was on, it was NPR. I’ve had to do a lot of catching up, which is great fun. I remember hearing George Jones for the first time. I had to look him up. My grandfather said he was going to get rid of the piano he’d bought for my mom and aunt as children, the same one I played growing up. Years later, I asked if I could take it, and he made me a deal – Poppi said I could come get the piano and, in return, when he passed, I had to play He Stopped Loving Her Today at his service…

Growing up in small town Michigan, Michelle Billingsley packed her bags and headed to Los Angeles to seek fame and fortune as an actress.  Her life story mirrors that of hordes of young wannabees, following their dreams, only to quit Los Angeles, bruised and broken by rejection and failed romances.

Rather than allowing the sordid experiences to break her spirit, Billingsley dusted herself down, took stock and planned her next move. Moving to Chicago, where she presently resides, she revisited that period of her life and her younger years, to construct the ten songs that surface on NOT THE MARRYING KIND. The tales within the songs aim for the jugular and more often than not, score a direct hit. They are at times perturbing, seldom polite, more often than not irreverent and frequently amusing. 

The written word across the ten tracks actually reads like poetry. Add Billingsley’s snazzy vocal delivery and the written words come alive.  Sometimes singing and other times talking through the songs, her expressive and fetching drawl relates tales of heartache (Then I Remember), depression (Drink ‘till I’m Pretty), toxic parent issues (Mom Jeans), dysfunctional relationships (When Will You Learn, Gaslighting) and self-deprecation (Portia).

The playing - in the main contributed by producer Matt Brown - reinforces her vocals faultlessly. Touches of banjo, accordion, fiddle, guitar and drums all appear in the right places. If you’re looking for a category for the album, it sits comfortably between folk and country.

Artists such as Billingsley regularly fail to get noticed in an industry overpopulated by samey and ‘music by numbers’ recordings. NOT THE MARRYING KIND goes against the grain and is a breath of fresh air in that regard, bringing to mind another wonderful wordsmith, Minton Sparks.  Billingsley won’t be nominated for a Grammy with this album but she possesses the skill set to shock, bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face, often all in the same song.

This is art as it should be - natural, thought provoking, jarring and most of all, entertaining. Well worth checking out.

Review by Declan Culliton

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