Shana Morrison's voice blooms and flowers on this cd. The range, rhythm, tone, inflections, and timing of the voice are simply amazing. There are songs such as "I Spy", "God Must Love Me", and "Mother" that are upbeat and spirit-freeing and make you want to dance across the room. The version of "I Spy" is markedly improved from the one that appears on an earlier Shana cd "Caledonia". There's also a sexy sultryness in her voice on "Cherry On Top" and "Smoke In Bed". Shana has a very strong voice but it's as smooth as silk on the slower-paced love songs such as the beautiful "7 Wishes" and "Saint Christopher", and the simply perfect "Hourglass" and "Would I Call". Her voice evokes all the sadness of the song "A Song For The Broken". You can even get a taste of an eastern Oriental sound in the song "Convection" where the voice truly becomes an instrument. The surprising version of "Naked In The Jungle" is a much slower paced one than the normal version of that song which is a welcomed change. "Day After Yes" is a marvellous song that I would love to hear live in concert stretched out to 10 or 12 minutes in length. And "Sometimes We Cry" is a classic. This is a musician who clearly has a deep understanding of what music and voice is all about and more impressively she has the voice to express that understanding perfectly. A big thumbs up on this album!!

The first time I listened to this cd, I did not like it. I found the lyrics trite and it sounded to me like Natalie Imbruglia. However, the more I listened, the more I loved it. I still think the lyrics are full of cliches, but mostly, the songs are just too infectious to make me care. My favorite song is "The Day After Yes," an excellent 'girl power' song about a one night stand. Also, "Mother" is a bit syrupy, but in the end it is a sweet tribute to a parent. Give it a few listens and I swear you won't take it out of your player!!

Shana Morrison's 1st major label release continues on & builds upon the path explored on her 1st 2 indies; a mixture of gorgeous sultry ballads alongside uptempo rockers, all well-crafted, well-sung & well-played.

The ballads all bear repeated listenings, particularly because Morrison & band insist on staying w/in the confines of the songs, so that a line here, a slur or background vocal there or a seemingly throwaway organ or guitar riff sneaks up on you in a way that perhaps wasn't fully apparent on 1st listening & while you might on occasion wish that Shana & band would show off their talents just a little more & up the shake-your-moneymaker ante, ultimately it's the songs that win out & to great effect, particularly on Smoke In Bed, Mother, & the sitar-augmented Connection.

But it's on the up-tempo material that Ms. Morrison separates herself from the rest of the Sensitive Girl Singers pack, displaying at times Joplin-esque power, particularly on I Spy, Day After Yes & the smouldering Cherry On Top, because make-no-mistake about it, she, like her better known Dad, has a voice that Makes Things Happen & when she winds it out, she's capable of making All Hell Break Loose...

Or...All Heaven Break Loose in the case of God Must Love Me, the album's tour-de-force, & literally worth the price of admission by itself.

If all was right w/the world this would be a car-radio summer staple, be covered by a Gospel Group lookin for a hit, make the Christian Contemporary charts & take home a Grammy, none of which will probably happen or matter but Shana & band nail it everywhichway to Sunday & if this truly inspirational song doesn't get a wider exposure, more's the pity.

God Must Love Me is a beautiful celebration of the joys of being alive, brim-filled w/verites both simple, yet profound in their very simplicity, sheer conviction w/out a trace of self-consciousness, either in her lyrics or her sugar-honey voice & the band is right there along w/her, signifying & testifying w/not a couplet ringing false.

"Candles on my birthday cake/Loving just for loving's sake" is my favorite, tho yours could be "I wish that everybody knew/If God loves me he loves you too" but take your pick cuz it's all there, a feel-good song where God is very much in His Heaven, the melody percolating along jauntily until Ms. Morrison comes outta gospel leftfield & starts Testifying & Showwwtttttin....... Halleliueh, right behind a psych-church B3, & suddenly you're right there in the Higher Choir smiling along w/her until the drummer puts an all-too-early end to the procedings w/a definitive flourish.

Hell, there ain't a lotta popsongs that have God as the subject matter & do justice to Said Subject, guess you'd have to go back to Jesus Is Just Alright tho the Byrds & Doobies never quite got their tongues out of their cheeks but here Morrison is most innocently sincere, (ok, we'll have to go back to Wordsworth for that) & she actually pulls something of this magnitude off, combining Innocent Heart w/the songcraft of a vet, not a likely combination these days, but she does it here in spades, resulting in, if not Summer Song of the Year, certainly should be, or for that matter (& I'll frow up the next time somebody sez "post 9/11") but if this isn't just what we need to hear on the airwaves post 9/11 (so sue me), then I dunno what will do it.

We should probably mention that she covers two of Morrison pere's tunes, Naked In The Jungle & Sometimes We Cry, the latter the more successful of the pair featuring a beautiful falsetto by Shana & a nice turn by Van who shows up for a cup of coffee on the final chorus, adding some spirited harmonica & swapping vocal lines w/Daughter, making you wish they had done a hair more vocalizing together, but minor carping for such a mature & enjoyable piece of work...

Anyway, forgetting the merits of this CD (& they're plentiful)--grab this thing for God Must Love Me & if you don't melt...

You're Dead, Jack.

Shana is the daughter of the legendary Van Morrison, and bound to make as big a name for herself in the industry as her father did. She began her music career in 1993 and has come an incredible distance in less than ten years! This woman has a powerful voice, able to be forceful and aggressive, or soft as silk - and still she has a wonderfully wide range. Compelling would be an apt one word description for Shana. She's cutting her own way in this business, and shows a great deal of promise.

This is Shana's third disc, and her debut for the Vanguard Label. It is a potent blend of heady music, and momentous lyrics that leave a lasting impression, a powerful release for a debut. Shana describes her music "country and blues oriented pop" and it is a fitting description. Folk rock and soul would have a place in that, as well, I think.

I Spy is the opening track, and reminded me immediately of Alanis Morissette. The vocal style is quite similar, and the music was also striking parallel chords within (if you'll excuse the pun). Sadly, the entire song just came across as a "take off" on an Alanis tune. This doesn't mean it is not a great song, it just had an already-been- done-feel to it in my mind. The clincher was when my other half asked me when Alanis had put out a new disc.

The title track, 7 Wishes, is a rather soft and poignant piece. It is a look at human nature, and the wishes for making a life better... the first of which is for a real friend. Shana's delivery of this piece is filled with a quiet intensity that reaches deeper than the gentleness would lead one to believe.

Day After Yes is a funky track that showcases some of Shana's versatility where her vocals are concerned. From sultry and passionate, to aggressive and controlling, she runs the gamut. I'd say Shana could give any female vocalist out there today a great run for her money, and many of those who came before - including Janis Joplin. This is a lady with style and ability in spades!

Apparently, Van Morrison wrote two of the thirteen tracks on this disc, and he joins his daughter on Sometimes We Cry. So for all you Van Morrison fans, there's a bonus. Shana should be enjoyed for her own talents though, and not for whose daughter she is.

Review Originally Posted at LinearReflections.com