The piano is Shauna Burns' instrument, and she drives it as if it's an extension of herself. The music she composes and plays is very pleasurable on this album. Her lyrics are a little bit zany, but together she takes one on a musical journey over mountains, down to the valleys, up into the clouds and into the mind of a girl who doesn't want a frilly dress.

She injects her songs with airy thoughts of faeries, heaven, ghosts, keys and little girls. Coupled with an honesty that's spun into the lyrics like taut strands of a spider's web, it's a little like dropping in on Alice in Wonderland, but of course, that was a great story, too. Burns treats her thoughts as characters and then offers musical accompaniment to flesh them out. Her music creations are warm and magical and her voice is celestial.

It's not just her, alone, on the piano. To round out the richness of production, there's James Clark on drums and percussion, Ryan Tilby on bass and guitar, Steve Lemmon on percussion and guitar, Caroline Kemper on Celtic harp and Rick Kemper on Irish whistle. The Celtic tones work well with her music and it sometimes reminds me of Mad Violet's music.

What's to like about Shauna Burns is that she's not a traditional artist and she is a solid musician with captivating instrumentals and voice. This CD is for you if you like songs with a modern Celtic influence and a little bit of mysticism.

[ visit the artist's website ]