Customer Reviews

You Can Let Go

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Prime Cuts: You Can Let Go Now, Tender Side, Your Cheating Heart

One of the glorious advancement of country music is the expansion of its racial boundaries. Of late, country radio has embraced African-American Rissi Palmer and now we have Native American Shawanda being signed to a major label in Nashville. For starters, Shawnda is a born full-blooded Ojibwe on the Wikwemikong reserve on Manitoulin Island in Ontario, Canada. Apparently her last name means "dawn of a new day," which has been capitalized here as the album title and track. With such a weal of cultural heritage, one would wish Shawanda or producer Scott Hendericks could weave more of her background into the texture and fabric of these songs giving her an edge over the countless newbies Nashville churns out each year. Rather, Shawanda has chosen the tried route of releasing another cookie cutter country pop offering that the Hills, Rimes and McBrides are putting out. Vocally, Shawanda isn't a laureate; though it'll be fair to say she does have a full-bodied range that just the right grit to command one's attention assiduously.

Given that this is a Nashville pop-country CD, there are still a few shiny moments: most deserving of mention is the lead single "You Can Let Go Now." A tearjerker of a ballad, "You Can Let Go Now" chronicles the precious moments in a girl's life whereby her daddy has to painfully let her go. Shawanda's slightly gravel vocals with just the right cracks is the perfect vehicle to carry the heartfelt emotions of this gorgeous song. Given that the CD consists mostly of rousers, the gentle 70s styled balladry of "Tender Side" is welcomed. Most telling is the opener "Evolution," a biographical tale of the musical influences that have helped shape Shawanda. Interestingly, Shawanda name drops Patsy Cline and Aretha Franklin as her influences. Definitely echoes of the Queen of soul can be heard on the bluesy "What Do I Have to Do" which tells of a woman desperately trying to get her hubby's attention in a tepid relationship.

Most familiar to country fans would be Shawanda's take of Hank Williams' "Your Cheating Heart." Shawanda's almost Kim Carnes-like growl and her in-your face confrontational demeanor actually works, giving this classic an august read so befitting of its lyrics. However, the rest of the CD verge on the ordinary. Surrounding with cascading guitars and pounding drums, "I Need a Man" is as insightful as the title suggests. Despite the delightful banjo picking opening lines of "You Can't Take It Back," the song quickly morphs into one of those non-descript pop anthems.

By falling into the temptation of trying to secure singles ready to be embraced by radio, "Dawn of a New Day" becomes pretty predictable. Yet what is most infuriating is Shawanda's background and her experiences are enough to spurn album loads of songs that could make her a name of her own. Nevertheless, as a Nashpop CD, there are its moments. Good but not essential.

You Can Let Go is a great song. Kinda sad but who doesn't love a tear jearker? I hope Crystal Shawanda's other songs are half as good as this one!