Below are just some of the great write-ups and reviews that have been coming in for Victoria's new album, OLD FRIENDS NEW MEMORIES. We'll post more as they come in, but if you come across any, feel free to send them in to her fan club office (Victoria Shaw Fan Club, P.O. Box 120512, Nashville, TN 37212-0512). Just include a note that it's for her web site. You can also fax them to us at (615) 740-9333, or if it's available on the internet, just send the url to us here. Please contact us for reprint permission. Enjoy!
- Country Music BackChat (October 1999)
- Billboard article (May 1, 1999)
- London Palladium Reviews (September 1999)
- Country Music Magazine
- Kountry Licks Magazine (Autumn 1999)
- Album reviews - with NEW reprints! (various publications)
Country Music International Backchat
OCTOBER 99
When we caught up with Victoria Shaw, it was the end of Fan Fair week. She had just released her third album, Old Friends, New Memories on her own Taffeta Records. Initially, it will only be available through the internet in the USA, though UK mail order shops will be stocking the album. A few days after we spoke to Victoria, she gave birth to a daughter, Ruby Cambridge Locknar on Tuesday, June 22, Ruby came in at 6 lbs. 11 ozs.
How has fan fair week been for you?
I had a great time for a lot of reasons. The weather has been the best weather of any Fan Fair, I think ever. I've been going there, gosh maybe 12 years, starting out as a fan myself, and the weather this time was incredible. I'm like 8 and a half months pregnant Normally it is so hot and it's humid and it's rainy. Even though a lot of the major stars didn't show up this year it actually benefited the kind of "B performers", because the people ended up coming into our line more and that was great.
It seems as if you are giving birth twice this summer?
The first birth went great, and now I'm just sitting here patiently waiting for the main event.
What kind of mother do you think you'll make?
Oh God, ask me an easier question. I haven't the slightest idea. Both my husband and I are giving ourselves permission to be first-time parents. You know, we'll be silly, make silly mistakes. All I can promise is that this baby's going to be loved. Other than that I can't promise anything else. I just think it's amazing. You buy a TV and they give you a manual that's like three inches thick to take home with you to read. With a baby, they just give it to you : "Here, bye, bye."
Is it true that your release from your Warner-Reprise recording contact was mutual, rather than them wanting to drop you?
Yes, it was. And no matter how many people say that that, no one believes it. They always think you've been let go. They offered me the chance to record another project and I appreciated that, but I just felt it really wasn't the right thing to be in. We all tried and for whatever reason, it just wasn't the right mix. So I just asked them to release me from my contract.
It must create major financial problems creating your own label to release an album?
I'd rather say financial responsibility than problem. I would never over-stretch myself to take food out of my family's mouth to this kind of thing. What's nice about an independent record like this,the budget does not have to be extravagant, and that's something I've learned. The cost of this was well below the budget for my other two albums, and I consider this to be the best album I've ever made. In this day and time things can be done so much cheaper than you might think.
Where did the name Taffeta Records come from?
Whenever I go on stage, my husband and I do like an air-kiss, because I don't want to mess up my make-up and taffeta to us means good luck. That came about, many, many years ago. I was going on stage and had my big hair and all this make-up, trying not to ruin anything. It reminded me of a scene from Young Frankenstein, with Madeline Kahn and Gene Wilder. Every time he goes to kiss her, she goes "uh, uh, the hair. Uh, uh the nails". At one point, he goes behind her very carefully and hugs her and she says "Taffeta Darling! It wrinkles so easy". It just made me laugh. So we started saying Taffeta darling, and then just Taffeta and somehow it just started meaning Good Luck, like Break A Leg. A Few months ago I was just going on stage and we said "Taffeta", and I looked at my husband and said"That's the name of the label!"
How did Old Friends, New Memories come about?
Bob said "Go in the studio and make the album that you want to make. Don't think about radio, don't think about format, don't think about anything but making yourself happy. We'll figure out what to do with it after its' done." And that was the best advice anybody could have given me.
How did you feel about British pop group Boyzone covering I Love The Way You Love Me?
I am so thrilled by that. First of all, I think they did an incredible job on it. It's just beautiful. It's also another way for my name to be more recognized. That will be helpful in the long run. I'm very proud of that, and maybe people that aren't country fans, but are Boyzone fans, will like to hear what the songwriter's interpretation of that song is like.
How did it feel to win an Emmy for This Is Our Moment (Love Is A Gift) form the soap opera As The World Turns?
Oh, that was one of the biggest thrills of my life. I didn't even think about winning, because I know how hard it is to win. I was so thrilled to be nominated. I was just so happy to be called an Emmy-nominated writer. That was such a surprise. I am so overwhelmed by that and I am so happy for myself, so happy for Olivia because it recognized her as a songwriter and also for the other co-writer Earl Rose. He had been nominated something like twelve times in ten years, so really it was such a joyous occasion for everyone involved.
Billboard Newspaper: Country Artists & Music
By Deborah Evans Price
NASHVILLE -- When Victoria Shaw makes changes in her life, she really makes changes.
She parted ways with Warner Bros., changed her affiliation from ASCAP to SESAC, and left her booking agent to take her booking in-house. When she told her husband there was one other change she felt she needed to make, he -- hoping it wasn't marital -- suggested she cut her hair.
She did. She also decided to launch her own independent record label, Taffeta Records, and on June 1 will release her label debut, "Old Friends New Memories."
The 14-song collection features both new and familiar tunes, and Shaw says the recording comes closer to capturing her live sound than any record she's made.
Following her major-label experience, Shaw says being an independent feels very liberating. "It was a mutual agreement," she says of severing her relationship with Warner Bros. "I felt it was time for me to leave, and they certainly weren't barring the door. I still have wonderful friends there, but it just wasn't the right house for me to be in."
Shaw didn't even shop her music to any other labels, saying it would have felt like "dating the same guy in different clothes. I wanted to make a new album but didn't want to go shopping for another label deal."
She says her husband and business partner, Robert Locknar, said the two aren't mutually exclusive. "Why don't you just make the album you want to make and not worry about anything else," he told her.
Shaw enlisted her friend, hit songwriter Jon Vezner, who wrote Kathy Mattea's "Where've You Been" and Diamond Rio's "You're Gone," to work with her. "I told him about the project I wanted to do," she says. "He always had an interest in producing me. And I've always loved working with him as a writer. When we'd demo stuff, I loved the way he captured my voice."
Vezner and Shaw began working in his home studio last November. They took a break for the holidays, then finished the project in February.
Vezner says, "I love the album. Hopefully it really brought out Vic, who she is without any restrictions as far as format or whatever. We just tried to be as honest to the songs as we could. I love working with her. The whole thing was a pleasure."
The album includes new Shaw compositions as well as her renditions of hit songs she's penned for other artists, such as "I Love The Way You Love Me," recorded by John Michael Montgomery; "Too Busy Being In Love," cut by Doug Stone; and "She's Every Woman" and "The River," recorded by Garth Brooks.
"I made no direction. The direction was my heart," Shaw says of her approach to recording the album. "That was what was so freeing, because I didn't have a label, I didn't think about format, radio, audience -- all the things you're supposed to think about. I just wanted to please me, and hopefully, other people will be pleased as well."
So far, only a few pre-releases have gone out, but responses have been favorable. Rob Carpenter, PD at WCTQ Venice, Fla., says he's considering airing "Waikiki Cowboy."
"We've had unusually strong response to some of her songs in the past, both at this radio station and the radio station in Huntsville, Ala., where I was before," he says. "Her songs are generally extremely well-written, very touching, and Victoria is obviously a quality vocalist. The combination is a strong one. I was at a a loss as to why she was not successful when she was on Reprise."
Shaw and Locknar plan to release an as yet undetermined single to country radio via CDX and will do a satellite radio tour.
She also plans to make extensive use of the internet. "I'm really into marketing things through the internet," Shaw says. "I've been fascinated ever since I got my own web site [victoriashaw.net]. I'm shocked that I get between 12,000 and 16,000 hits a month on my web site."
In addition to being available on her web site, Shaw says she's close to locking in distribution via other web distributors.
Shaw says she plans to advertise her album initially in consumer publications. She also plans to market the album via her fan club, promoting it by means of an extensive world-wide mailing list. She will sell the project at her live shows, including both U.S. and European tour dates.
Shaw will premiere "Old Friends New Memories" during a May 12 show at Nashville's Bluebird Cafe. She also plans performances and promotions during Fan Fair. Her first baby is due in July, and Shaw plans to hit the road heavily in the fall.
Shaw also continues to have songs recorded by other artists, including Ty Herndon's next single, "Big Time Dreamer." (Herndon makes an appearance on Shaw's new album on the cut "Almost Mine.")
She co-write Bryan White's "(You Are) Where I Belong," which is up for an Emmy Award next month for its inclusion in the soap opera "As The World Turns." Shaw is also nominated for an Emmy for "Love Is A Gift," co-written and recorded by Olivia Newton-John. And she has a hit in Europe with "I Love The Way You Love Me," recorded by Boyzone.
(return to top)London Palladium Reviews
Sunday, September 19, 1999
Fans Started gathering outside the Palladium over an hour before the doors opened in anticipation of this long awaited event. Unfortunately Lorrie Morgan canceled two weeks previously and we'd all been given the opportunity of returning our tickets for a refund if we so wished. (I'm glad we didn't).
The show commenced at 7:30 p.m. with a bubbly singer/songwriter Victoria Shaw wearing a black trouser suit with a shorter hair do. We had seen Victoria Before so had an idea of what to expect. She didn't disappoint giving a great 40 minute opening set. She sang some songs from her latest album "OLD FRIENDS, NEW MEMORIES", and also some well known songs made famous by other singers (ie; Garth Brooks and John Michael Montgomery).
Victoria was asked at short notice to replace Lorrie Morgan and had given her band time off while she gave birth to a baby. She said "yes" to the offer but couldn't get her band together in time so the Scooter Lee Band agreed to back her and they did a great job of playing together having only met 4 hours before the show.
Victoria is a friendly chatty lady and likes to tell the stories behind her songs. She collects unusual sayings too and loves the English word "knackered".
Her baby daughter was asleep in the wings in the arms of her grandmother, but amid shouts of "bring her on" Victoria promised to do so before the end of her set. Sure enough just before her last song Victoria told her husband to go and fetch her and Robert returned holding 3 month old Ruby who has what looks like her mum's red hair. Shielding the baby's eyes from the glare of the lights he sang backing vocals with baby Ruby in his arms before taking her back to the safe keeping of Victoria's mother.
Victoria left the stage to thunderous applause and almost immediately Scooter Lee came on.
Dale Gossip
Country Music News and Routes
It should have been a full house at the London Palladium on September 19 but unfortunately one of the main acts canceled at the last minute and a number of people decided not to come and received their ticket money back.
Instead of Lorrie Morgan we had Victoria Shaw who stepped in at the eleventh hour and what a brilliant replacement she was. Backed by Scooter Lee's band, who she had only met some four hours previously, she treated us to a super set of self-penned numbers from her latest album OLD FRIENDS, NEW MEMORIES. A lot of the audience did not know who Victoria Shaw was before this evening but many were aware of probably her best known song "The River" Written with Garth Brooks which is on the album and which she sang. She also included other classics she had written "I LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE ME", "TOO BUSY BEING IN LOVE", "CRYING TIME" (a song about burning old love letters) and her own version of "SHE'S EVERY WOMAN" as opposed to the Garth Brooks version. These were my particular highlights of her 45-minute spot which brought her a standing ovation from an audience who, in the main, had not even come to see her. She certainly made many new fans on the night and richly deserved the accolade.
Roger Sealy
(return to top)Review from Country Music Magazine
On her third album, Victoria Shaw takes matters into her own hands. She sounds all the better for it.
After two albums on Warner Bros., Shaw decided to release her current collection on her own. She displays the benefits of independence immediately; Her first single, the invigorating "That's How Much I Love You, " is performed with nothing but hand claps and harmonies. It's a stripped-bare technique that modern major labels would never have accepted. However, it's entirely right for the song, giving it a fresh vibrancy that allows the joy of the lyrics to come across clearly.
Unlike the majority of independent recording artists, Shaw didn't become self-reliant out of desperation. She had been dissatisfied with her Warner Bros. Work partly because of its music-by-committee sound. So she decided that she wanted her fans to hear her songs as she heard them in her head.
The result is a bare simplicity that shows off the clarity of expression of her beautiful, bell-toned voice and her incisively modern songwriting. Owning a talent for devising simple lines that delve into complex issues, Shaw is particularly adept at creating vivid lyrics that delve into the emotional concerns of modern women.
You've heard some of these songs before: There's "The River" and "She's Every Woman," both of which she cowrote with her friend, Garth Brooks, who previously recorded them. She also delivers her own "Too Busy Being in Love," which Doug Stone made into a hit, as well as the elegant "I Love the Way You Love Me," an award-winning song that John Michael Montgomery took to No. 1. But there's an intimacy to Shaw's versions that make these familiar tunes worth hearing again. Moreover, there's 10 new songs that are just as good.
- Michael McCall
(return to top)You all know how great of a songwriter Victoria Shaw is, right? Well, if you have never had the opportunity to hear her sing, now's your chance! Her new CD OLD FRIENDS, NEW MEMORIES is a great place to begin your new Victoria Shaw collection.
The album begins a very unique, very wonderful way with an a cappella number called "That's How Much I Love You." This song is great! From the cute lyrics, "I went home with you for Christmas Eve and ate your mother's weird stew. I even asked for the recipe. That's how much I love you," to the wonderful melody, to the choir-like hand claps and background vocals, to Victoria's soaring vocals. In fact, Victoria sounds great on all the cuts on this project, but she really stands out on this song. Her talent shines!
"I didn't fall in love, I just tripped." I love that line. That's pretty much the hook of the song "Tripped." This popish cut is the only song on OLD FRIENDS, NEW MEMORIES that Victoria didn't write. Here's where her ability as an interpreter shows through. Not only does she have tremendous talent to write material then perform it, she's pretty good on bringing out the full meaning of any song.
"The Other Woman" is a wonderful compilation from Victoria and Skip Ewing. Now, when you hear the title "The Other Woman," you probably think Victoria is singing about the woman her husband is having an affair with, right? Wrong. This pretty waltz tells the story of one woman who is everything to the man she loves.
How many of you are familiar with Doug Stone's "Too Busy Being In Love"? Me, too. In fact, it's always been one of my favorites of all of his songs. Well, now's your chance to hear the songwriter's interpretation. This cut is very symphonic, very moving.
"Crying Time" gets back to that popish sound that Victoria has become famous for. This is the only cut on the album that she soley wrote.
Oh, I love the harmonica in the intro to "The Man Who Lived Here." It's a perfect beginning to the song's almost swampy feel. Swampy feel, that is, until the uptempo chorus. An uptempo chorus that flows perfectly with this story of an outlaw cowboy, who was murdered because of his reckless ways. Confused? Don't be. Trust me this Victoria Shaw /Gary Burr piece is perfect. I like the placement of this song, also, in comparison with the entire album.
"Every night I pray that angels keep you safe when you are away from me." Isn't that a pretty line? The rest of "Every Time We Say Goodbye" is just as pretty. It seems that Victoria sounds best on touching love ballads. This song is no exception.
Imagine a reggae ballad. That's the best way I can think of to describe "Keeps Bringing me back." That island feel works wonderfully with this cut's lyrics, which compares a true love with physical feelings of creation while one is sailing on the ocean. This poetic piece is very unique. I think you'll like it.
Gosh, you know there was a guy named Garth something-er other that did a song called "She's Every Woman." What is his name? Oh, well, Victoria who co-wrote "She's Every Woman" with this unknown Garth, performs it on OLD FRIENDS, NEW MEMORIES.
"So Many Miracles" is a gorgeous song that tells of small miracles we experience every day from sunrises and sunsets to the light in a loves one's eyes.
From the seious to the funloving. "Waikiki Cowboy" is a cute, little song about a cowboy who came to Waikiki and fell in love with a girl with dark brown eyes. ["He never could pronounce her name so he called her sweety-pie."]. well, you know when a cowboy falls in love, he can't leave. So he kind of becomes a "Waikiki Cowboy." Now you know I love this song because its so acoustic guitar driven.
I don't think I need to tell you about the song " I Love The Way You Love Me." "Almost Mine" is a song of regret about losing one's true love.
The album closes with what I've always called my theme song "The River". Need I say more about this wonderful song?
So now that you know all about OLD FRIENDS, NEW MEMORIES, you're probably wondering how you can purchase it. Just visit Victoria Shaw's website at victoriashaw.com. Go buy a copy today. You won't be disappointed.
- Kandy Crosby
(return to top)Album Reviews (various publications)
COUNTRY MUSIC INTERNATIONAL
****
Victoria Shaw's reputation as a songwriter has placed the focus on the song, and therefore, her talent as a vocalist has been largely overlooked.
On this third album, she really comes of age as a singer, oozing certainty in the beauty of her voice with a sensitive and enhancing production job by Jon Vezner. But production and performance aren't the only elements of a great album: The songs are the cornerstone and this has numerous winners. She reprises several songs she wrote that were turned into hits by others, offering her own unique readings of them.
The real joy of this album though, is her new creations. THE MAN WHO LIVED HERE co-written with Gary Burr, is quite different to anything she has ever previously written. A kind of mini-movie in song, this is a compelling piece of music that deserves to be heard. She gets a little light-hearted on WAIKIKI COWBOY, and with EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, she delivers a concise, deliciously melodic song that sticks to the brain upon impact; this one is tailor made for someone like John Michael Montgomery. Her performance is superb, sweet and loving but never syrupy and when she breaks into the sweeping, soaring chorus, the listener can't help but get caught up in the experience. Make no mistake, this beautiful lady is a talented songwriter, and here she proves that she is also a very powerful and distinctive vocalist.
Adrian Cooke
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COUNTRY MUSIC ROUND-UP
***1/2
Singer-songwriter, Victoria Shaw has long impressed with her fine compositions, and in 1995 her album, IN FULL VIEW. Shaw's ability to write meaningful songs that not only tap into one's senses, but lend a wry understated smile at life's ups and downs every once and again ensure there's some light amidst even the most angst strung situations. One of her greatest attributes being her poetic deliveries on the slow, meticulously plied ballads- her impeccable, poetic like composure spreading a warm, relaxed ambience across the songs that you don't want to end.
Not only has she her own writing hand but the help of Gary Burr, Sean Altman, Garth Brooks and Chuck Cannon. While harmony vocalists feature Suzy Bogguss, Burr, Ty Herndon (dueting on ALMOST MINE) and Wes Hightower among others on this very much 1990's country singer-songwriter, self-financed album. A set that sees four songs once hits by others. Among them THE RIVER is washed in yearning felt harmony vocals, and smart producing it provides as anticipated an album highlight. As does acappella offering, THAT'S HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU, where not for the first time I consider Victoria an ideal partner to that of Gretchen Peters. Underlined by the lively, TRIPPED, a song she wished she'd wrote, the sublime, painstaking, TOO BUSY BEING IN LOVE, SO MANY MIRACLES ( a song you could imagine Suzy Bogguss doing), and of a lighter note WAIKIKI COWBOY. Shaw's sensitive writings of the heart win out on most occasions (a couple of average tracks accepted) is someone who works hard at her craft and it shows.
Maurice Hope
(return to top)SOUTHERN COUNTRY
I loved this album from start to finish. As well as being a superb and effective song-writer, Victoria Shaw is a lovely singer, with a warm toned voice that is easy on the ear, and great to listen to. The backing instrumentals are also excellent and colour the songs beautifully. All the songs are winners, but overall favourites are EVERY TIME WE SAY GOODBYE, co-written with Desmond Child, and I LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE ME, co-written with Chuck Cannon, a No. 1 hit for John Michael Montgomery in the USA and a big hit for Boyzone here. It is nice to hear the writer singing it, and Victoria flipped the very first time she heard Boyzone's version which starts with a beautiful string section. She wrote the song for her husband, Robert Locknar and sang it at their wedding. I also loved THE RIVER, co-written with Garth Brooks. The whole is well worth owning.
Sue McCarthy
(return to top)ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Ian McQueen, Country Music News & Routes (9/99)
Victoria Shaw's debut album IN FULL VIEW (Reprise) was my album of the month in the November 1995 issue of this magazine, and I am pleased to say she's done it again.
I was pleased she had been let out of the songwriting cupboard to deliver her own material, because lovers of beautiful music and wonderful singing should not be deprived of this lady's talent. The release of this 14-track album OLD FRIENDS NEW MEMORIES on her own Taffeta Records label sees 13 of the songs she has co-written with well-known names such as Garth Brooks, Gary Burr, Sean Altman, Skip Ewing.
Jon Vezner produces the album and the executive producer is Robert Locknar, Victoria's husband. She has included "I Love The Way You Love Me", a song she co-write for him and sung at their wedding. It also became a massive hit for John Michael Montgomery in 1993 and a pop hit for the Irish group Boyzone this last year. It certainly shows the very wide audience that embraces her music, and when you hear her sing and play the piano, I cannot think of anyone who could deliver the contents of this album better.
Victoria was joined by 11 musicians and six background vocalists and when I saw names like Suzy Bogguss, Gary Burr, Ty Herndon, Randy Sharp, the credit reading stopped and the start button on the CD was pressed. 50 minutes later I pressed it again, one hearing of this superb release was not enough to sate my appetite.
The album insert does not contain the song lyrics, but when you are listening to a gifted vocalist with perfect diction, nothing is lost.
Too many artists, signing a record deal with a major label, releasing two highly acclaimed albums containing plenty of original material, some of which has dominated the charts for nearly 10 years and produced No. One hits for star names covering them would probably make them well satisfied with their musical career. This was note the case for Victoria Shaw; the lady decided to change direction and left Warner Brothers. Her aim now was to write and record an album of music that made her feel good, without any limits.
As Victoria started creating this latest release her body was also very busy. The album was finished, her first baby Ruby Cambridge Locknar was born and if one birth was not enough for any lady, Taffeta Records, her own label was born. Everything you will hear on this latest album highlights and underlines the name Victoria Shaw. The highly talented confident artist, exquisite songwriter and musician.
Without hesitation MY ALBUM OF THE MONTH.
(return to top)Pete Smith's Rock Pile
ALBUM OF THE MONTH
After cutting two powerful albums for Warner Bros., Victoria Shaw decided she wanted more control of her music and decided to go it alone with her new Taffeta label. The debut, OLD FRIENDS NEW MEMORIES, shows Victoria has a brilliant grasp of the English language, a fact that is so obvious on the construction and use of words in each of the 14 songs. From the joy of "That's How Much I Love You" and "Waikiki Cowboy" to the sadness of "The Man Who Lived Here" to the powerful drama of "Almost Mine", every song is worthy of an award. But is is not just the songs, equally strong is Shaw's performance of them, emphasized on her own versions of hits she wrote for others, like "I Love The Way You Love Me" (John Michael Montgomery and Boyzone), "Too Busy Being In Love" (Doug Stone), "The River" and "She's Every Woman" (Garth Brooks). All these made number one, the position that surely OLD FRIENDS NEW MEMORIES will make. Album Of The Month.
Fans all over the world should instantly recognize the Victoria Shaw penned hits like "The River," "She's Every Woman," "I Love The Way You Love Me," "Where Your Road Leads" and "Too Busy Being In Love." Her songs have been staples on the charts around the world since the early '90s when Garth Brooks hit No. 1 with "The River." She's been a sought-after songwriter ever since, even showing up as a three-time Emmy nominee. Shaw took home the 1998 Emmy for "This Is Our Moment (Love Is A Gift)."
Victoria's Warner Bros. solo albums, 1994's IN FULL VIEW, and 1997's VICTORIA SHAW, took her to another level and introduced legions of loyal fans all over the world to her music. Now, coinciding with the birth of her first baby, Ruby Cambridge Locknar, comes a third Victoria Shaw album OLD FRIENDS NEW MEMORIES, a solid collection of her biggest hits and original new tunes, which showcase the singer's rich vocal style, on her own Taffeta Records label.
One of the established hits on the new album is "I Love The Way You Love Me" that Shaw wrote for her husband, Robert Locknar, and sang it at their wedding. It has taken on a whole new life this past year as a huge pop hit for the multi-platinum group, Boyzone.
This male pop group from Ireland are one of the biggest selling groups of the 90s with more than 10 million sales to their credit. On their latest album, "Where We Belong," they have recorded an incredible pop version of "I Love The Way You Love Me." Victoria flipped the first time she heard it.
The song starts with a beautiful string section that is so romantic and lush. So, if you like to mix your country music with a little pop sometimes then check out Boyzone's version. (9/99)
(return to top)By Jon Philibert
***
Not that long ago I was reviewing Benita Hill's rather special Tangerine Moon album which came to mind as I listened to this Victoria Shaw release, her third, and the first for her own label, Taffeta.
After all, there were definite similarities; both of these female writer/performers have had cuts on Garth Brooks, tracks which are to be found on their own respective albums, and both projects are self-financing (indeed, there is an impassioned plea on Shaw's album to the effect that "this CD was made with lots of love and my own money, so be cool guys and please don't make copies for your friends... that's bad karma, trust me!" So be warned.)
Shaw's own version of "She's Every Woman" does pose some gender problems as rendered by a female vocalist: "... that's why I never face temptation, cause she's on both sides of the fence..." left me a little uneasy, and more ambiguously, "... she's every woman that I never had". Apart from that, it works more or less as an abstract hymn of praise to women as opposed to a woman in the case of the Garth Brooks version.
"The River", the other GB success, is also OK. The melody is appropriately liquid and Shaw's vocals are initially underscored by a sparse piano accompaniment which rather subtly picks up additional instrumentation, mostly percussion, as it proceeds.
In Shaw's rendition of "Too Busy Being In Love," Doug Stone's big record, we find what I've long suspected: the song works better as a female vehicle. Either way it's good to hear that well-constructed, ever-escalating verse melody again, the beautifully smooth chorus is a joy to listen to, and there is an intelligent restrained use of strings throughout.
The last of the quartet of hits is "I Love The Way You Love Me," the song that put John Michael Montgomery on the map. Written by Shaw (with Chuck Cannon) for her husband Robert Locknar, it is a touching, highly personal piece. You must know by now the references to three hour baths, and her singing off-key to Jerry Lee Lewis records (an unlikely image given her precise vocals).
This detailed slice of life observational writing is a long ways from the rather literate jottings of Tom T. Hall or the sassy working class schtick of Loretta Lynn, but is perfectly suited to the independent spirit of 90s women as represented by Shaw.
For example, the chunky, midpaced cathartic "Crying Time," a wry piece about staying in and burning old love letters, positively brims with lines that we can all associate with, such as the one about warming up Chinese food from the refrigerator.
Again, this is evidenced on more slightly heavy pieces like her ballad co-write with Skip Ewing, "The Other Woman," highlighting the duality of humdrum existence, stopping off at the band and the cleaners and all, and her romantic other self.
And I must mention the eyebrow-raising opening track, the virtually a cappela, lightly comic ditty, "That's How Much I Love You." This has nicely perceived lines "... even learned your favorite football cheer / ... gave up Chardonay for beer" and I smiled at the reference to diplomatically eating her mother-in-law's "weird stew" and asking for the recipe to boot!
The only non-original, "Tripped," a rather bitter piece complete with mellow "Whiter Shade Of Pale" keyboards is, apparently, a song that Shaw wishes she had written and, sure enough, it has her trademark detailed lyric writing describing a terse chance encounter with an ex. Liked that.
Save the amiably wacky "Waikiki Cowboy", much of the rest of the album is less satisfactory and and one or two of the ballads sag a little. That said, the very pianistic gut-wrencher, "Almost Mine," in duet with an unbilled Ty Herndon, grows quite nicely.
OLD FRIENDS NEW MEMORIES demonstrates that Victoria Shaw is certainly a potent writing talent and quite a forceful singer. However, this is firmly placed at the AC-pop end of country and won't appeal to everyone -- those that would like her probably know who they are by now. (9/99)
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