Michelle Shocked is asked in the song “Anchorage,” “What’s it like to be a skateboard punk rocker?” Perhaps it takes a flashback like Short Sharp Shocked to answer fully the more interesting question, “How did you get there?” The album finds Shocked taking a semi-fond trip back to an East Texas childhood, and all of the defined roles, limited expectations, claustrophobia, and ultimate rebellion coming from that environment. Musically, she tackles the spectrum of rootsy folk in a warm way that shows not only a love for but also a great deal of knowledge of the forms (producer Pete Anderson added a Nashville gloss to the recordings that shouldn’t go unnoticed). The songs have a very personal, almost diary feel, but at the same time they speak a universal language — none so poignant as the album’s centerpiece, “Anchorage,” a touching letter from an old friend. The cover photo, which shows Shocked restrained by police officers during a protest, indicates little about the music found within (save for the uncredited album closer, the hardcore punk workup of “Fog Town” featuring MDC), but the music certainly reveals much about the protester. [The 2003 Mighty Sound reissue featured an entire second disc, and included live material and cover songs.] – Chris Woodstra