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Waxed - Record Review from Issue #61 Jan-Feb 2006

Brandi Shearer

The Sycamore (Vinyl Tiger)

By

Nothing about San Francisco singer-songwriter Brandi Shearer is exactly surprising. She sings like a less Canadian Margo Timmins, writes like a tasteful, tuneful folkie, and plays guitar with classically-trained care. But she does all of those things well, and with admirable economy: Of the eleven songs here, eight run less than three minutes. The album has the expected shadings of country, blues and cafe jazz, but it succeeds in its details: the waltz-time throb in the chorus of “Can You Hear Me”; the lonely guitar notes that open “Marry Me” like a wistful wedding march; the inescapable sadness in Shearer’s voice when she pleads, “Make your girl feel like she turns your head.” She gets able support from a band of west coast veterans, especially guitarist Eric Schramm. But even on “To L.A.”, the closest thing to a rocker, Shearer gives the sense of holding back more than she’s showing.

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Originally Featured in Issue #61 Jan-Feb 2006

Cover of Issue #61 Jan-Feb 2006

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