For A Touch of Class:
https://stompandstammer.com/record-reviews/shannon-mcardle-a-touch-of-class/
Jeff Clark says, "If someone like Emmylou Harris made this album, it’d win a Grammy. Granted, it’d be one of those Grammys that are given out in the middle of the afternoon, long before the broadcast starts, that are rattled off in rapid-fire announcements going into commercial breaks during the actual show, but still… it’d get attention, it’d get bigtime praise, it’d be written up in USA Today and Wine Spectator and Mother Earth News. You at least owe it a listen, if you have any taste at all."
For Fear the Dream of Axes:
Blurt Magazine checks out Fear the Dream of Axes and decides it's "very well done"!
Magnet Magazine, One Track Mind, and MTV Hive all delve into the first single off the record, “Warden."
HughShows.com reminisces about the Mendoza Line and praises Shannon's solo identity: http://hughshowsredux.blogspot.com/search/label/Shannon%20McArdle
Justin Cober-Lake from PASTE offers a most compelling and thoughtful review of Fear the Dream of Axes.
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2012/08/shannon-mcardle-fear-the-dream-of-axes.html
Steve Dollar's review of Fear the Dream of Axes for Stomp and Stammer:
http://www.stompandstammer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4924&Itemid=1
For Summer of the Whore:
The Uncensored Interview blog examines Shannon's fashion sense along with her music. The Oakland Independent blog includes Shannon's song “Poison My Cup” (mp3) in the first OI mixtape, and declares it the highlight of the mix and one of the author's “favorite songs of all time.”
The New York Sun and Atlanta's Stomp and Stammer shared an interview with Shannon by Steve Dollar.
The Village Voice has run two features on Shannon: an August story about the “striking, guitar-centric, whispery debut [Summer of the Whore] that documents her divorce, the inevitable depression she spiraled into thereafter, her subsequent recovery process, and all the loaded, convoluted feelings you get while moving on from anything”; and an accompanying interview.
Frank at Chromewaves covered Summer of the Whore in his weekly Sunday Cleaning, noting that “The growth in songwriting and confidence that McArdle demonstrated with each subsequent Mendoza Line release continues uninterrupted.”
PopMatters ran a trio of pieces about Shannon: a live review from her CD release show, a lengthy interview, and a record review calling Summer of the Whore “an unflinching collection of hauntingly beautiful numbers.”
Other SotW features and reviews:
- Magnet: “with words as her catharsis, music becomes McArdle’s salve, unspooling strings-laden Americana, ethereal dream pop, upbeat indie rock with a ’60s girl-group flavor, strummy folk rock and more.”
- Blurt: “Edgy but deeply intoxicating, Summer repays the listener’s time spent with each successive spin.”
- Time Out New York: “The record does not lack for crushing moments.”