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CD REVIEW: Shawn Hebb - Tourist
By Kevin Zarnett - 06/02/2006 - 02:10 PM EDT

Artist: Shawn Hebb
Album: Tourist
CD Review: There is some irony in the title of Shawn Hebb's debut Tourist; the Toronto Singer-Songwriter recorded the CD all by his lonesome is his apartment. Of course the title likely draws more from Shawn's experiences traveling the world performing his music, as well as travels of the heart, be it the fizzle-out of a long-term relationship, or the ones that never got off the ground in the first place. Fortunately Hebb is up to the task of handling a variety of instruments and other production chores, resulting in a consistently catchy 35-minutes of pop that likes to rock.

Shawn Hebb is definitely a melody guy, right down to the handful of tasteful guitar solos that occur on Tourist. And you’re just as likely to be singing along to a song's verse as its chorus. This is evident from the get-go with the bright and bouncy Some Things and continues through much of the disc. You will also be hard-pressed not to cheer the self rediscovery of Now That It's Over, and get your na-na-na's ready for the end of My Own Way.

Comparisons in both the sound of Shawn's music and his voice, can be drawn to the likes of John Mayer, Shawn Mullins and the poppier side of Jack Johnson. A Ben Folds flavor dresses the 'quit the biz-sell my gear' lament of This May Be The Last Time, and one of the CD's better tunes, Three More Days, reminded me a bit of Marc Cohn.

There is an intended lo-fi quality to the CD, which works well enough, but Shawn is adept enough as a producer to have made me curious about how the songs would play if they were held up to a higher integrity of sound.

Chances are, if you like the first couple tunes on Tourist, you'll be in for the whole trip. Warm-up your vocal cords, there's plenty to sing along to.

For more information on Shawn Hebb, visit: www.shawnhebb.com or myspace
To purchase Tourist, visit: CD Baby or Apple iTunes


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