Lone Justice, Shelter

If Lone Justice had an obituary, the lead off line would read something like this, "Lone Justice was a band that was never able to live up to the hype that got heeped upon them by critics, fans and record labels alike. That hype eventually did them in, though not as quickly as one would have predicted and only after they had released two memorable albums.

Lone Justice released two albums in the 1980's and a comprehensive comp. The band was led by Maria McKee and they were predominantly a cowpunk/rockabilly/alt-country outfit though by their second release those sounds had mellowed out just a bit in favor of more pop. That change of genre and styling can be a great way to enlarge your audience or lose the one's you already had and in Lone Justice's case it was the latter.

Lone Justice's second album, Shelter (1996), which would also be their last, was produced by Jimmy Iovine (Tom Petty, U2, Interscope Records), Little Steven (who needs no introduction here) and the band. Van Zandt, besides helming the board, penned a few of Shelter's tracks with the band including the lead off track, I Found Love. Shelter's last track, Dixie Storms, is eprhaps their most well known. It sounds a little like Tom Petty's Southern Accents with a more rootsier Stevie Nicks singing.