7 Wishes
Shana Morrison comes by her musical pipes honestly. The daughter of pop genius Van Morrison, she was singing from kindergarten. But an early, straigh ...
7 Wishes
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The Daily Vault
7 Wishes
Shana Morrison
Vanguard Records, 2002
REVIEW BY: Duke Egbert
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 04/30/2002
Shana Morrison comes by her musical pipes honestly. The daughterof pop genius Van Morrison, she was singing from kindergarten. Butan early, straightforward exposure to the music business's up anddowns led to her deciding on a "normal" career (in businessadministration), only to get pulled back by the siren song of musicduring graduate school. Her life has been an interesting mix of thematter-of-fact and the glitzy, and one could argue that it shows inher music, especially on her first release for Vanguard Records, 7 Wishes.
First off, this is a pretty damn good CD. (Let's get that rightout in the open.) Morrison's strengths are as a singer andstoryteller, and she nails a wide variety of emotions -- wistfulresignation on "A Song For The Broken", foolhardiness on "Smoke InBed", and bright celebration on "Mother". Her backing musicians arecompetent, and the drums of Shawn Pelton and Hammond organ of MattRollings are excellent. (I can't help it, I'm a sucker for Hammondorgan.)
The production is tight and minimalist, letting the sound comethrough. Very little by the way of effects is used, and that's apositive, as it would hide the natural expressiveness of Morrison'svoice. She has the same ability to invest a phrase with emotion asAlanis Morrisette, but her diction is better -- sort of like a morerock-oriented Billie Myers. (Come to think of it, her diction'sbetter than her dad's. But I digress.) She even handles a couple ofher dad's songs -- "Naked In The Jungle" and "Sometimes We Cry" --with grace and talent.
The definite highlights, though, are "Day After Yes" and"Connection" -- and I don't think you could pick two more variedsongs to mark as the best on 7 Wishes. The Eagles-like groove of "Day After Yes", withgreat background vocals by Chris Collins, captures the day after ofa first time perfectly, and the soft, searching spirituality of"Connection" closes the CD perfectly.
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