Detail: Singer/songwriter Shawna James speaks like a sure woman, and her singing voice inhales and exhales with a moving, vulnerable, longing presence. With a strong, soulful edge, her 2007 debut, Honey, packs a sweet punch. Hard to believe the powerhouse voice comes out of James' slender body.
From one story to another, James flutters, rapidly switching tones, alluding to her scopey pipes. With reddish-brown, choppy-artsy hair and small, chiseled features, James is thoughtful and playful, and she chats freely and openly.
From Cincinnati, James' mother, Myra Snyder, was a regionally famous Country music singer who opened for Hank Williams Jr. and Loretta Lynn, among others. James says, "When I was 6, I was sitting in my grandma's lap at Latonia Downs and I was embarrassed watching my Mom sing. Then I saw the adulation of the crowd and decided that's what I wanted to do."
On songwriting, she says, "Basically I stumble on a chord progression and the emotion it makes me feel. I'm not one of those people who bought a bunch of records, but I have a grasp of my emotions. I know what sounds right to me. I'm not a revisionist ... the way it comes out, that's the way it stays."
