Shawn Strub: Cat Dreams
After leaving the highly regarded Denver band the 40th Day, vocalist Shawn Strub went into a local studio to record some of her own songs in her own way. Her own way meant surrounding her emotive voice with intricately layered soundscapes. A year later she emerged with a five song tape that showcases her unique songwriting and vocal style. It's as though, after years of singing in someone else's band, she was finally allowed to articulate her long hidden inner feelings. Shawn often draws her voice around each syllable, letting it float just outside the words, then elsewhere she sings with a startling directness. And almost always you can hear a haunting melancholy as though Shawn's perception of the world is clouded in a swirl of something lost. But hers is a child's voice too, filled with "innocence and pain," as she sings on the tape's first song, "Give Me Love." Shawn's greatest strength is her command of emotions. This is most evident on "Something Like Love," in which she laments, "I feel something like love, only it's colder than it's supposed to be." "Isabelle" ponders the difficulty in penetrating the outer shell of an introvert. "Don't you need me? I think you need me," Shawn sings over a thunder of drums. And the listener is left wondering. The child emerges on the title track, a song about the fragility of a cat. "I can hold your little hand on my fingertip," Shawn sings, as though the cat's tininess is its greatest asset. The closing song, "Make Me Feel" begins as a slow brooding piece, then builds to a churning climax. Anticipation is transformed into a whirling vortex designed to lessen the wait. Often Shawn seems nearly paralyzed by uncertainty, but she confronts it with an inward look that ultimately makes sense of the external world. Cat Dreams leaves haunting images and feelings that linger long after you've finished listening. It's a startling emotional ride well worth taking. Cat Dreams was later expanded from a five song tape into an eight song CD. If you are looking for a copy try contacting Shawn at her website
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