Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions by Shannon Curfman (CD, Sep-1999, Arista)

Album Features
UPC:	078221461429
Artist:	Shannon Curfman
Format:	CD
Release Year:	1999
Record Label:	Arista
Genre:	Blues, Contemporary Blues

Track Listing
1. Few and Far Between
2. No Riders
3. True Friends
4. If You Change Your Mind
5. Love Me Like That
6. Playing with Fire
7. I Don't Make Promises (I Can't Break)
8. Hard to Make a Stand
9. Weight, The
10. Never Enough
11. I'm Coming Home

Details
Contributing Artists:	Jonny Lang, Ricky Peterson
Producer:	Tom Tucker, Kevin Bowe, Shannon Curfman
Distributor:	BMG (distributor)
Recording Type:	Studio
Recording Mode:	Stereo
SPAR Code:	n/a

Album Notes
Personnel: Shannon Curfman (vocals, guitar); Kevin Bowe (acoustic & electric guitars, mandolin, background vocals); Jack Holder (acoustic & electric guitars); Randy Casey (guitar, background vocals); Jonny Lang, David Grissom (guitar); Andy Dee (lap steel guitar); Pat Hayes (harp); Bruce McCabe (piano); Ricky Peterson (keyboards, background vocals); Paul Peterson (bass); Michael Bland, Kenny Aronoff (drums); Dave Anania (percussion); John Fields (loops); Sonny Thompson, Debbie Duncan, Margaret Cox, Cynthia Johnson, Tim Mahoney (background vocals).Personnel: Shannon Curfman (vocals, guitar, background vocals); Kevin Bowe (guitar, acoustic guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Jack Holder (guitar, acoustic guitar); Randy Casey (guitar, background vocals); David Grissom, Jonny Lang (guitar); Andy Dee (lap steel guitar); Pat Hayes (harp); Bruce McCabe (piano); Ricky Peterson (keyboards, background vocals); Kenny Aronoff , Michael Bland (drums); Dave Anania (percussion); Debbie Duncan, Margaret Cox, Sonny Thompson , Tim Mahoney, Cynthia Johnson (background vocals).Audio Mixers: Tom Lord-Alge; Tom Tucker.Recording information: Master Mix Studios; Seedy Underbelly, Minneapolis, MN; The Terrarium Studios, Minneapolis, MN.Photographer: Marina Chavez.It's easy to call Shannon Curfman the female equivalent of such hot-shot guitar-slingers as Johnny Lang, especially since Lang not only appears on her debut Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions, he co-wrote a few songs with her as well. And it is true that Curfman does play modern blues-rock that recalls Lang's, but it's not a direct copy, it's simply informed by the same influences. After all, Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions makes it clear that Curfman has her own voice, one that's a little bolder and gutsier than Lang's. Throughout the record, her singing is impassioned and playing is firey. She does take the occasional stumble, but that's usually because the material is a little weak or undistinguished. That doesn't happen too often, though, and even when it does, it's not enough to make Loud Guitars anything less than a top-notch debut. [Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions was initially released as an independent album. It was re-released by Arista in September 1999 with a different cover and mix, along with some new songs.] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Editorial Reviews
...belts out songs of love and denial with a soulful maturity influenced by the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin....even more astounding when you consider that she's only 14.
CMJ (19991115)