UPDATE:

I just got notified that "Keeping Hope Alive" from the cd was selected as the top 16th new song of 2007 by Kick Radio:

One or more of your songs that aired on The Kickradio Show during 2007 has been charted by our producers as one of the Top 50 Best New Songs for 2007.

Your song(s) will be featured again on a Special episode of Kickradio (Episode 17) that will be broadcast and podcast within 72 hours of the receipt of this official notification, at which time your charted position will be revealed.

Promised Land is Number 11 on the charts at American Idol Underground. WOW - thank you :)

Hello,

Thank you for stopping by please read the reviews below and feel free to leave me any comments on the cd. You can download it from Itunes from the links below or click the buy now button to get a cd. Thank you for stopping by and I hope the music touches you :)

If you have time please go to www.americanidolunderground.com and vote for promised land. It is currently in the top 50 spots.

You can find samples of each song by clicking here or the cd cover Image to the right.

BTW "Sundown" is number 20 on SongVault.fm this week - pretty - pretty cool ...

I just sent 100 cd's over to the troops so if you are one of the troops who received a cd please contact me. I would like to post a video of Fortune Lies Freedom and would like to get the video from soldiers. Piecing together different clips sent to me. Thank you,

Shawn

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To purchase this CD please click the buy now button

ThecelebrityCafe.com: Reviewer's Rating: 8

Harris describes Temptation as "a labor of love and of pain. Hopefully it reaches your soul and grabs hold. The songs represent different times of my life and different moods and flavors of life's ways. It is the very best I could do so hopefully it is good enough for you to spend your time listening to."

The best songs on this album are "Promised Land," the music and lyrics bringing memories of Cat Stevens and early Elton John, but with a modern flavor at the same time; "Fortune Lies Freedom," these songs showcase the layered guitars, vocals, lyrics and songwriting nicely, and the title track, which could be the heaviest and most intense selection on the CD.

The usual formula found in most music today is absent on Temptation, with a welcomed mix of unique riffs and heartfelt lyrics being conspicuously present instead, a welcome and refreshing change from today's popular music.

It is intense, uplifting and inspiring music designed to make one feel and think, bringing out a blend of emotions to the listener. It will be a good thing to hear more from Shawn Harris in the future if this is any indication of what he can do with his array of talents.

Sit back, enjoy, and be prepared to be inspired.

It’s usually a good policy to avoid judging anything simply based upon its appearance. For instance, looking at the packaging of Shawn Harris’ latest release, Temptation, one might be “tempted” to believe that it is just another contemporary Christian release complete with spiritually symbolic, earth-toned artwork, pretty melodies and positive, uplifting lyrics. This would be a logical assumption, and it would be correct — to an extent. In fact, Temptation has all of those qualities at times, but it also has so much more.

Based in Apopka, Florida, Shawn Harris has been making a name for himself in the Orlando music scene recently. Possessing a style that is usually low-key and acoustic, Harris draws a line through the sometime cookie-cutter mentality of the contemporary Christian market with dramatic, minor-key tendencies, dark harmonies and adventurous arrangements. While Temptation is definitely its own animal, it at times bears a striking resemblance to Alice in Chains’ Jar of Flies. The somber tone of some of the songs, along with Harris’ deadpan, baritone delivery and droning acoustic passages on songs like the opening track, “Memories,” further justify the comparison. Tracks like “Fortune Lies Freedom” and “Keeping Hope Alive” showcase somewhat brighter arrangements and a more soulful, higher-register vocal delivery. “Don’t You Know” presents a weighty acoustic arrangement and driving rhythm reminiscent of groups like Days of the New and Tantric. Nifty arrangements and top-notch musicianship punctuate the well-conceived songs, with flamenco-style guitar solos, progressive synth passages and novel, syncopated rhythms presenting themselves as unexpected treasures throughout the disc.

With brilliant songs, commanding vocals and jaw-dropping guitar playing, Shawn Harris has produced a recording that is a compelling vehicle for his faith and message. (Self-released)
www.temptationcd.com

http://www.performermag.com/sep.recordedreviews.0706.php
-Matthew S. Maynard

Rag Magazine May 2007 Review

Temptation Independent Release
The music of Shawn Harris is fresh, with a unique blend of spiritual flavor.
His voice carries you to an unknown atmosphere and the music, all written by Harris himself, paint brushes his vision with spirituality and utter forgiveness. Harris is a man that has been broken and put back together again through faith and perseverance. “Memories chain my soul,” Harris recites in “Memories,” as he discovers that through his past experiences, strength can be found. The driving acoustic guitar creates perfect timing with Harris’ voice, echoing a very eerie yet uplifting vibe that will make you question what you’re feeling. The music often mimics Harris’ voice, but suddenly will take on a new Middle Eastern tone. Songs such as “Fallen From Grace” and “Keeping Hope Alive” are short in theory but manage to get their message across in minutes. This is one of those CDs that will hit you after the second or third listen. Listeners will find this effort an intriguing and innovative discovery.

Temptation is hard to pigeonhole into one particular category of music because it ventures through various styles based on Harris’ often falsetto voice and creativity of the music that’s behind it.

- Joseph Vilane

http://jefitoblog.com/blog/?p=1159
Review by Eric P.
Shawn Harris takes the listener into the “Promised Land” with his debut effort. It’s a tale of light and darkness, memory and loss, pain and redemption. Harris layers his own voice on several tracks, creating a sound that echoes and reverberates alongside heavy guitar notes and a constant drum beat. The opening track, “Memories” is a journey into Harris’ vision of the landscape of his past and how it shades his soul in the present. Harris’ songwriting is often an interplay of reflection and the wisdom gained from life and all its twists and turns. There are moments when he seems to be reaching for love to sustain him, as in the song “Promised Land”, when he asks, “Will you lead me into the promised land?” On another track, “Fallen From Grace,” Harris writes, “As the shadows seem to grow, seeking out the better times, bringing comfort to my soul,” the listener is drenched in the moment, as Harris releases the burden in his voice, the weight on his mind.
There are subtle religious, even apocalyptic, undertones to many of the tracks, perhaps driven by the church echo vocals that Harris has weaved next to chiming bells on two tracks, including the last track, “Temptation.” On “Sundown” there is some excellent guitar work by Harris and keyboard tapping by Bryan Clark. The album is clearly a personal endeavor . Harris’ words and music are wrought with struggle and survival, seeking and learning. Harris is credited with writing all nine songs, and he also contributes lead guitar and keyboards. Chris Smith provides the driving drum beats that provide a foundation throughout the album. Several tracks are supported by Jay Stanley
on bass. (Stanley also shares a producing credit with Harris). All nine songs seem to follow a similar template throughout: the words are sung like an echo bouncing in between regret, remorse, wisdom, and redemption. The ebb and flow guitar strokes are pushed by the driving drum, like boot steps pounding the earth in a last ditch effort to reach that soul salvation. *EP

Shawn Harris
3/14/07 (read 353 times)
This is a 12 track Christian rock CD with some good vocals and instrumentation worthy of air time

SH: ( I think they could have bought a vowel or two :) )