Unfortunately, Shannon’s memorable soprano becomes run of the mill when applied to the shallow, jazzy tunes on City Morning Song (Minty Fresh). She still carefully crescendos into the slightest vibrato, not so much to amaze as to content the listener, but now with accompaniment that sounds like a score to a musical.
At her more theatrical, Shannon seems to be taking stylistic cues from Rufus Wainwright, singing like a scene-setting narrator in an opening act. She also sings about angels watching over us (“Watch Over You”), and, in another tune (“Salton Sea”), croons, “I want to start out each day with a kiss / will you marry me?”
Clearly, this album is not for the jaded among us. With this foray into tame lounge-pop, listeners shouldn’t expect depth, or something that hasn’t been done, albeit prettily, before.
– Kristin Grayewski
Sarah Shannon (Minty Fresh)