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).
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
Professional Reviews
CMJ (11/15/99, p.27) - "...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."
