Shannon Tedder

Breezy Dreams

Breezy Dreams is a compilation of music, poetry and photography. Most of the nine tracks share a rhythmic feel that might lure you into dreaming about a careless sunny day, with nothing better to do than take a deep breath, smell the air and look up to clear blue skies. It's obvious that Shannon Tedder, who takes credits for most of this project, tried to combine a few of the arts this life and her personal vision have to offer. But somehow I fail to sense a unity in between the music, the poetry and photography as presented in the booklet. With all due respect for the good intentions and messages of love, one could easily feel overwhelmed in the cascades and drown. "Cabaret" has a laid-back bluesy touch and seems to come closest in narrowing down the intensity of the diamonds in the rough presented in Breezy Dreams. Lead guitars and saxophone all throughout this CD are improvised. It's what makes the listener feels he or she's a witness to a jam session and although there are nine tracks, all titled apt to what Shannon Tedder felt was right for each composition, they all sound alike, hardly distinctive from one another. And that's a pity. Perhaps if these compositions were recorded live, some environmental noises in the back like the echo from a mountain or the wind softly touching leaves and flowers, one would really get the idea of "Breezy Dreams."

by Gina Vodegel

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