Customer Reviews

Loud Guitars Big Suspicions

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

It's easy to call Shannon Curfman the female equivalent of such hot-shot guitar-slingers as Jonny Lang, especially since Lang not only appears on her debut Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions, he co-wrote a few songs with her as well. It is true that Curfman does play modern blues-rock that recall Lang's, but it's not a direct copy, it's simply informed by the same influences. She has her own voice, one that's a little bolder and gutsier than Lang's. Throughout the record, her singing is impassioned and the playing is fiery with blistering fretwork, a top-notch debut. She sings with more conviction and plays guitar with the tone and tastefulness of someone twice her age, but she's also a fine songwriter. Highlights include a self-penned blues strut, "Few and Far Between," in which she lets her voice range from sweet to gruff and the Allman Brothers-influenced "Love Me Like That". When she growls her way through "Playing With Fire," a gritty retelling of the classic "bluesman sells soul for unearthly ability" legend, you had to wonder whether she was singing from first-hand experience, connecting the lines between Robert Johnson and Jimi Hendrix. The Eric Clapton-like love ballad "If You Change Your Mind" is also very good. But her style is not flashy or self-indulgent. There's an economy to her brilliant but succinct runs around the fret board. In the sassy "I'm Coming Home." so eerily mature is her delivery that she can pull off the line "I'm headin' down the interstate, takin' back my real estate" without reminding you she's still a few years away from getting her driver's license. If you like the blues/rock of Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, you'll LOVE this CD!

Holy Smokes, Shannon Curfman rocks solid in this debut CD. I just took a flyer on this CD based on the coveted & mystical Amazon referral-recommendation system along with customer reviews. My favorite tracks are "Far and Few Between", "True Friends", and "I Don't Make Promises". She holds her own with ground with her rendidion of extremely familiar "The Weight" by The Band which as been done by more than one heavyweight in the music world including one of my favorite Aretha Franklin. Curfman's vocal are strong, bluesy, and mature.

If that wasn't enough, her guitar work is great. The accompanying session artists are top-shelf.

I am still playing tracks from this album regularly.

If you can pick up the CD for less than $10, it is an
"automatic buy" in my book. If Shannon Curfman was scheduled to play in my area, I would find the time to go to the show.

Shannon Curfman doesn't have bleached blonde hair, she doesnt sing songs like "Candy" or "Genie in Bottle", she doesn't have all the "hot" dance moves so how does she pull it off? It's a little something called TALENT! Shannon sings from her soul, she makes your believe every song on her album, she co-wrote 7 songs on her CD and believe it or not, she plays an instrument. This is real music, whether her songs come from experience or not, she puts everything shes got in it. From the bluesy sounds of "No Riders" and "Few and Far Between" to the radio friendly ballads "I dont make promises I cant break" and "If you change your mind" to rockin' songs like "True Friends" and "Playing with Fire" to the two cover songs "The Weight" and "Hard to Make a Stand" Shannon covers it all! This is one of the most rounded albums I've ever listened to.

If you like the CD, you HAVE to see her live, she'll blow you away! She is sooooooo much better live plus she is a nice person!

Overall, this CD was worth every dollar!

The sound Shannon puts forth on this CD is defititely not "pure blues". If that is what you are looking for and will only be happy hearing, this CD will be a disappointment to you. If, however, your musical tastes include a little wider range and include "blues rock", this album will probably become a cherished part of your music collection.

I have never heard a CD that managed to capture an artist's true vocal gifts, but this one comes pretty close. Shannon has an amazing range to her voice, and I'm not talking in terms of octaves. I'm talking in terms of emotion and texture. Sometimes she sounds angry, sometimes sad, sometimes gravelly and sometimes silky. She pulls them all off in a very convincing fashion.

The same goes for guitar work. This CD comes close to capturing the essence of what this virtuoso can do, but, like every other CD I have heard, falls short of what one hears live. I thoroughly enjoy the guitar work on this CD, but one has to see her live to truly be convinced that she is the real deal. Words are failing me now as I am attempting to describe the experience that is Shannon in concert.

Trust me on this one. If you like blues that is heavily flavored by rock, especially if you like expressive female vocalists, this is one CD you want to own.

Forget completely that Shannon Curfman is now only 15 years old, just 13 or 14 when this disc was recorded. This is rock the likes of which is, unfortunately, just not heard on the radio today. In the current vast, vapid musical landscape littered with so-called Pop Divas, Curfman is a refreshing, albeit blistering, alternative. Her incredibly strong voice howls with an honesty and maturity that is sorely lacking among the teen pop queens like Spears, Aguilera, et al, and even those older like Mariah Carey, and singer/songwriters like Jewel. This excellent debut album is packed with 11 brilliant songs, including 7 originals co-written by Curfman, and one inspired cover of The Band's "The Weight." She gets assistance from blues and rock heavyweights like David Grissom (John Mellencamp, the late, great Storyville), Kenny Aronoff, and teen blues phenom Jonny Lang, and while they all lend their individual talents, in no way does their presence improve the quality of the disc. This is all Curfman's show and she shines brightly, playing a blistering lead guitar on 7 tunes, including the fantastic "Playing With Fire," and filling each hook-laden song with truly incredible vocals. The songs range from serious blues-rock like "No Riders" and the previously mentioned "Playing with Fire" to ballads like "If You Change Your Mind" and "Never Enough," proving that she's not just a growling rocker, to the hard rocking breakthrough hit "True Friends," which shows off Curfman's strong pipes with startling clarity. There is no filler on this disc, from the rollicking "Few and Far Between," to the heart-broken "I Don't Make Promises (I Can't Break)" through to the stomping I've-had-enough-of-you rant of "I'm Coming Home," it's a powerful mix of rock, blues-rock and roots-rock. I dare any of the current teen queens to put out an album showing this much range and maintain the same quality. Curfman is a true musician, she sings, she plays, she writes. And with age comes wisdom, so just imagine how good she's going to be when she starts writing, and singing, about her life experiences. Trust me, after a couple listens, you'll forget all about her age.

I first saw Shannon at a concert in a Minneapolis bar in April of 1999. My jaw dropped when she started to play guitar and sing: no way was this rich voice or this amount of guitar talent coming out of a 13 year old girl. Less than halfway through the evening's set, I purchased this CD.

The song "True Friends" is the song chosen to be the first single off this CD. As much as I enjoy this song, and as much rotation as it is getting on Minneapolis radio, I can tell you there are a couple stonger radio hits on her CD. The song does do an excellent job exhibiting her vocal strength and range of emotion as a singer.

If you have ever thought to yourself, "I really like Jonny Lang, but he'd be a lot more enjoyable if he had a female voice and was a better guitarist", then this CD was made for you.

Buy it now, as it may become a collector's item soon. I heard today that Shannon just signed a recording contract with Arista Records. I suspect that they will re-release this CD under the Arista label, making this Pop Sense release more desireable.

I happened upon Shannon's CD while browsing around the local library and decided to check it out. This is one of the most wonderful musical discoveries I've ever made! I'd never heard of Shannon before and was amazed to found out she recorded the album at such a young age!! She sings with such conviction and soulfulness!! So much so that while listening to the CD for the first time, I swore I was listening to a 30/40 yr-old woman wailing about experiences that I've never had. She truly has a voice beyond her years.

I dont know quite how to label her music, but that never bothers me when I listen to music. For those expecting to hear a high-pitched, song bird girl (typical voice of most teens), you'll be disappointed. Shannon bellows deeply and purrs with a raw, grungy tone. The melodies on certain songs complement her voice quite well. When you hear her for the first time, I swear you'll never know she's just a teen. In fact, I may never be convinced of that until I see her live!

In retrospect, I'm really glad I didn't know anything about her (including her age) before I heard her music. It makes you more objective when you hear it for the first time. Shannon's set such a high standard (relatively speaking) on her first album, I can only hope she'll be able to improve on this for her second album. Anything less will definitely be dissapointing. Regardless, I'm now a fan for life!

It wasn't long ago that Jonny Lang burst onto the blues scene with his debut album.Now hot on his heels from his hometown of Fargo,North Dakota comes another super hot blues guitarist in the shape of a fourteen year old girl. Shannon Curfman first sang on stage when she was seven,but didn't pick up the guitar until the ripe old age of ten! She got to meet Jeff Healey at The Fargo Blues Festival and jammed with him for several hours. All she wanted to do after that was start a band, and she did just that at eleven. Now, a few years down the road after honing her chops this teenager is about to set the world on fire. She released her album Loud Guitars,Big Suspicions earlier this year on a indie label but it wouldn't be long before she would be signed by Arista who re-released her debut album. The music on Loud Guitars....is in the blues rock idiom of Lang and Shepherd,but what Curfman has over the aforementioned is that she can sing. She belts out these songs like a seasoned blues veteran,and her guitar playing will snap your brain. The album features eleven tracks,seven of them by Shannon including Love Me Like That co-written with Jonny Lang who plays lead guitar on three tracks.The six tracks go at a blistering pace before the mood changes with a couple bluesy ballads,I Don't Make Promises(I Can't Break), and a Sheryl Crow track Hard To Make A Stand.There are many highlights on this album,from Shannon's growling vocals to her brilliant but economic fretwork. Best blues tracks are Playing With Fire, Few And Far Between, I'm Coming Home,and my favourite track No Riders.

For people who expect a 14 year old to turn out bubble-gum pop music, this CD will amaze you! Shannon Curfman sings and plays blusey rock almost to the standard of Bonnie Rait or Sheryl Crow. Difference: Curfman is 14. An unbelievable cover of The Band's classic "The Weight" showcases the power and depth of her voice. On her current sensation "True Friends," she sings as if she was a woman 3 times her age who just had a BAD experience. Her guitar work is amazing, her vocals run the spectrum, and I was blown away. She'll be around belting out blues and rock when the current crop of teen pop princesses are selling for $2.99 in the cut-out rack. If you like hard hitting rock and blues, get this CD. Brittany, Christina, and Jennifer; you may wanna take some notes from this young lady.

This gal is amazing! She came through Indiana on a promotion tour this week. I heard her on two local stations playing and singing live and it sent chills up my spine. After being totally smitten by her voice/guitar combination, I came here to see if I could find her CD. Let me just say this--YOU HAVE TO HEAR HER LIVE TO FULLY APPRECIATE HER MUSIC. The CD hides her guitar in a mix of electric riffs. This girl can hold her own with the likes of Clapton, Johnny Lang, Melissa Etheridge, etc. Buy her CD, but listen for her LIVE!