Shauna Burns Every thought. Release Date : June 2, 2005. Label: Red Rock Music. Rating: Soft. (Screw points. To each his own!) Stunningly gorgeous piano melodies very much in the twinkly, swift vein of Tori Amos start off Shauna Burns' album. Quite beautiful and pixie-ish (i mean the woodland creatures, not the band). Burns' voice is low yet lilting, light and dancing about in a very Celtic manner. I admit I am a bit suprised. A lot of albums in this genre tend to come out over- or under-produced, and something that could be beautiful and soaring instead ends up being flat or assaulting. This one bridges the gap perfectly. By the time the high-pitched whisper of "Castle In My Cloud" comes around, I'm pretty well convinced I am listening to a Tori Amos record. If you're going to emulate something, Amos is a good choice, but this may be edging onto the territory of *blatant* Amosism. Even the vocal interludes of choppy little sneezes of childlike words are there. The specks and then dollops of piano that merge flawlessly into oceans of the same. This album plays with your emotions. It's relaxing yet charged with a slightly restrained energy. There's a lot to get out, but to let it escape all at once would be at once unladylike and overkill. So, it hops and builds, steps back, ebbs, flows, until just the perfect point to shout forth. It is Tori Amos. If no one had told me otherwise and I didn't have the CD cover sitting in front of me, I'd refuse to believe it wasn't her. The similarities don't end there! "Pink Girl" picks up the tempo a bit, and again much like Ms. Amos, the quick songs have 'rock' elements that sound out of place and corny. The piano should stay more forefront in all of this. I don't think she speaks Gaelic or something like that during the course of the album but the way she runs her words together sounds ethereally non-english. Neat. Song of choice : "Ghosts & Vampires" is a lovely opening, showcasing the voice talents and piano talents and setting the bar for the rest of the album. -Andy Scheffler Elsewhere Shauna Burns website Published : January, 2007.