# The Strange Magic of: Maria McKee



## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

There is a line in a poem that asks what "jewelled with such eyes the great goshawk's head?" One just needs to look into the hypnotic green eyes of singer-songwriter Maria McKee to have that question flash into one's consciousness. There is a wild, feral quality in her appearance, and even her guitar work has been labelled as feral by some observers. McKee was founder and lead singer for the cowpunk band Lone Justice, and later cowrote and sang _Show Me Heaven_ that featured in the film Days of Thunder. She went solo, and has delivered album after album of wonderful, idiosyncratic songs, that, for no reason that makes any sense to me, never clicked with a larger audience, unlike, say, PJ Harvey, a equally-gifted near-contemporary, equally idiosyncratic. I personally place five women uppermost in my pantheon of exceptional female rock artists: Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Kate Bush, PJ Harvey, and Maria McKee. Here McKee sings one of her very best: _Life is Sweet_.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I'm bumping this Maria McKee post so that we can also savor Maria's version of _Show Me Heaven_, her only ever No. 1 song (UK), one for which she shares credit for the lyrics. Maria McKee and Laura Branigan each bring their great pipes to this stunning song, but also check out the slight differences in the lyrics.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

Herewith another classic from one of my all-time favorite rockers. Her usual full-out delivery, and those hypnotic eyes.....


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

The only music I know by her is the first Lone Justice album. 

Someone for me to pull up on Tidal when I work out today.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

jegreenwood said:


> The only music I know by her is the first Lone Justice album.
> 
> Someone for me to pull up on Tidal when I work out today.


I strongly recommend four albums for starters: _Maria McKee; You Gotta Sin to be Saved; Life is Sweet; High Dive_.


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