You might be asking yourself, “Who’s Shona Laing?” No wonder, since the New Zealand singer’s impact on these shores was brief (and really not much more than a ripple).

Truth is, I don’t know what drove me to pick up her 1988 debut, South. I recall reading this enthusiastic Rolling Stone review at the time, but recently while listening to a stack of old unmarked cassettes, I stumbled upon an interview my sister had conducted with a classmate for a school project. The two were discussing music and she mentioned that I was into Sinead O’Connor. He suggested I check out Laing. So whether the review or the recommendation came first, I soon added South to my collection.

It was during this same period—roughly 1987-1988—that women were asserting their place in rock. In addition to Shona Laing and Sinead O’Connor, other artists like Tracy Chapman, Melissa Etheridge, Michelle Shocked, and Toni Childs had issued strong debuts. It would take several years for me to appreciate Etheridge, and Shocked underwhelmed me, but the rest of the class were instant favorites.

Shona Laing fit well into this more vocal group of socially aware singer-songwriters. South had been released internationally in 1987, but was re-packaged in 1988 for the U.S., pulling a few tracks from an earlier release. One of those songs, “(Glad I’m) Not A Kennedy,” reached #14 on the Billboard Modern Rock Chart. If you do know any of Laing’s songs, this is the one:

Other standouts are album opener “Drive, Baby, Drive” (thankfully not “Drill, Baby, Drill”) and “Soviet Snow,” written in response to Cold War-era politics and the Chernobyl nuclear disaster:

After touring with Erasure (!) in 1988, four years would pass before Laing released New On Earth. By that point, she might as well have been an alien from a different planet, as few took note of her return.

Laing still resides in New Zealand, where she continues to perform. Last November, she released Pass The Whisper, her first new album since 1994, featuring acoustic versions of songs like “Kennedy” and a more wistful “Soviet Snow.” Of the album, Laing says, “The process of finding the players and the place and time has been so natural, no industry pressure at all, and I feel it is the best work process I’ve ever been through.”

Purchase Shona Laing – South via iTunes, Amazon. Pass The Whisper is available via iTunes.