Holiday CD Spotlight: "A Winter Gathering" by Shauna Burns

This entry was originally published on November 4, 2011

Singer/songwriter Shauna Burns puts her own unique spin on several classic holiday songs, as well as a few new offerings, on her recently released CD A Winter Gathering. The twelve selections featured on this latest effort from the Indie talent are broken into three "songscapes," beginning with "Winter Star," which is followed by "Luma" and concludes with "The Gathering." The holiday favorites sandwiched in between include "Carol of the Bells," "The First Noel" and "Silent Night."

Like her 2008 effort, The Moon and the Fire Circle, Burns takes listeners on an almost mystical journey, complete with atmospheric Celtic influences that accentuate several traditional holiday favorites. From the piano driven "Carol of the Bells" to the fast paced and lyrically different "The First Noel," Burns makes the standards sound fresh and alive. One of the strongest selections, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," features a unique and interesting vocalization that reminded me of singer Kate Bush.

Shauna Burns possesses a vocal talent that exhibits a gentle strength, which is appropriate for the traditional holiday offerings highlighted on A Winter Gathering. While the arrangement for "White Christmas" is not necessarily different from what I am used to hearing, Burns delivers an exceptional vocal performance and the selection is my favorite of the dozen songs included here. A Winter Gathering concludes with instrumental versions of "Carol of Bells" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," which allows listeners to ease out of the journey that they have just experienced on this solid, atmospheric effort.