Country Music Report On The Record
September 2008
Shawna Russell Goddess CD Review
by Scott Sexton
**** 4 out of 5 stars
Shawna Russell may be the new girl in town, but that is not going to be the case for long. Her voice is so pure and unique; there is no denying she's going to go places. Being a songwriter, she co-wrote twelve out of the thirteen tracks on this record. Doing this allowed her to express her deepest thoughts with the world in a way that everyone can understand. The lyrics you'll hear are full of strong messages that everyone can relate to at some point or another.
The first track really raises the bar to all of the other songs. It is a typical Country song, however in many different ways, it is not. Yes, the relationship is coming to an end, but this goes into great detail and puts you in the mind set of what the female is going through. The struggles of accepting that it’s over are never easy, but she gives it a shot and with a little "mind over matter," she'll be back to normal in no time.
"Cemetery Hill" is very interesting. This is a faster paced tune and it's about this place out in the middle of no where that has a cemetery built up on a hill. Basically, Shawna is singing about this place being everyone's final resting place and no matter what people do, we all end up in the same place. She even mentions "you can bet on a Friday night, you'll find spirits wild and free." To some people, this may be a cool place to check out and ghost hunt, but for others, let's just hope we are not "with it" or go willingly.
One song that takes on the sound of the 80's is "Fire In The Desert." This is a pretty good song. It is not the best one on the record, but it deserves a listen. Stepping things back up, Shawna sings one of the best tunes on the whole record. "Shed A Tear" about a young lady, Sarah Martin, who is a member of the National Guard. She is about to go off to war and the whole town gathers to pray for her. If that alone don't pull at your heart strings, she also has a little girl whose world is being turned upside down. The only thing that can truly be said about this song is it's amazing.
If you like the songs that are hardcore and to the point, then you should listen to the track "Get Out Of My Way." Once again, another breakup song, but it is Country Music. Shawna gets right to the point with this and tells her loser ex-whatever "there's been nothing but trouble ever since I met you, and you've been dragging me down." How many times have you wanted to say that to someone?
"Little Dixie" wraps up this record. It a pretty good little tune about living close to the country. You're not far from being in the middle of nowhere and enjoying the pleasures of solitude.
This is an album that proves the independent releases are sometimes better than the majors.
What a thrill it was to review this record and get used to the name Shawna Russell. Hopefully we will be hearing a lot from her in the near future.
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Link to online review:
http://countrymusicreport.com/ONTHERECORDII.htm
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