After years of requests from friends, family and fans for an album of holiday songs, Michelle finally feels like making Christmas music. The inspiration is her two children, “The holiday time seems all the more exciting when you're around kids.” "Snow" is an original song from Michelle Anthony's 2010 Holiday EP, "Let’s Get Merry." Michelle released her third studio album, Tornadoes, in November 2010. The first track on the album, “Spare Me,” was recently included in More Magazine’s column, “Songs Worth The 99 Cents.” Holly George-Warren writes, “’You can sing me something sweetly’ is the song’s hook – and precisely what Anthony does, with lilting vocals and life-embracing lyrics.” Download “Spare Me” here: On September 14, 2010, accomplished singer Michelle Anthony will release her long-awaited new full-length record, ‘Tornadoes.’ “After much living, writing, recording, re-recording, mixing and mastering, the album’s complete,” Michelle Anthony says, with a giant smile, from her Austin home. For such an ominous title, the actual recording, mixing, and mastering experience was incredibly enjoyable. Anthony explains, “All the musicians, engineers and co-producers made ‘Tornadoes,’ ironically, the easiest, least-challenging recording experience of my life. Maybe it’s because I’ve let this process take four years since my last release. Maybe it’s just easier to be patient and take my sweet time. Who knows, but it worked.” Michelle Anthony is a KC native, Milwaukee transplant and currently calls Austin, TX her home. Her debut album, ‘Stand Fall Repeat,’ was co-produced by the late-great Jay Bennett (ex-Wilco). She quickly followed up her debut with her second release, ‘Frozenstarpalace’, the album was well-received by critics and fans: “She has the unaffected delivery of her Midwestern heritage and the ability, reminiscent of Sarah McLachlan, to quietly insinuate herself into spaces between conscious thoughts,” No Depression Magazine. On her third release, ‘Tornadoes,’ Michelle showcases a more mature and relaxed songwriting style; from the Sheryl Crow pop-anthem sounding “Vacancy” to the tasty guitar-riffing in “Black Coal Heart” to the emotional ballad and title track “Tornadoes” describing motherhood to the lovely “Spare Me,” which effortlessly blends a Prince meets Spoon vibe. The inspiration for much of the album was motherhood, but also the very scary, life-threatening illness Michelle had after her first child was born. Michelle had pre-ecclampsia and developed HELLP syndrome which made her appreciate life in a different, more grateful way. “I wouldn’t have ever written a song like ‘Tornadoes’ or ‘Beautiful’ before this experience.” Michelle kept a positive theme throughout the making of the entire record. “It’s a ‘thankful’ record.” Four songs on the record were inspired by her son. “I wrote ‘Permanent’ for my son. I was pretty scared during the first months of his life. I was so worried I wouldn’t be here for him. I wanted to leave him something more meaningful than material things for him remember me by. I wanted him to have my voice and words, should he ever need them, so I left him a song. I’d never really focused much on writing in a positive light, probably because I thought it would sound silly or forced. On this record, I wrote more autobiographically and if I felt amazingly happy, and rather than doubt it, I just went with it.”