Personnel: Michelle Shocked (vocals, guitar); Richard Armstrong (trumpet); Skip Edwards (keyboards); Dave Raven (drums, percussion); Doug Pettibone (background vocals).

Recording information: 2004.

Of the three stylistically disparate albums that the mercurial Michelle Shocked released simultaneously in 2005, DON'T ASK DON'T TELL is both the least conceptual and the closest to what longtime fans might expect from their heroine. While GOT NO STRINGS is an acoustic album of classic Disney film songs and MEXICAN STANDOFF is split evenly between blues and Mexican-flavored music, DON'T ASK is a non-idiomatic affair that concentrates more on Shocked's songwriting than on any stylistic conceit.

At the same time, while an earthy folk-rock sound dominates the album, there's still plenty of diversity here. Shocked throws in New Orleans R&B ("Don't Tell"), jazzy balladry ("Goodbye"), and high-octane garage-rock ("Hi Skool"). Lyrically, Shocked seamlessly meshes the personal and the political in a manner that's become her trademark, employing detail-oriented, literary-minded touches for maximum impact. DON'T ASK DON'T TELL is at once the most straightforward and the most complex of the prolific artist's 2005 releases.