There is darkness to some of the Shawn Harris music, but he does balance this with needed light. “Memories” from Temptation, (Harris’ CD) is a solid song, for the most part, though the lyrics could be a bit stronger. “Promised Land” is a tune that is easier to listen to. It’s good to know that someone as committed as Harris would still put a question mark after the words. I guess no one really knows if they will make it to the Promised Land.

On this CD, Harris gets his assistance from Jay Stanley on bass and Chris Smith on drums. The musicianship is more than good. I like the sound and atmosphere created on the title tune, “Temptation.” Another tune on the collection, “Sundown” shows a bit of the singer’s vocal talent, so I guess the songs should be looked at as vehicles for this. While this listener is not particularly partial to Christian folk/rock, those who are will probably want to lend an ear to Harris latest effort. The compilation was produced by Harris and Stanley at Stanley’s works in Florida. With time and a little stronger lyrical content, Harris may be on to something.

Shawn Harris on MySpace

Tags: shawn harris, music, indie, indie music, independent music