It's easy to call Shannon Curfman the female equivalent of such hot-shot guitar-slingers as Johnny Lang, especially since Lang not only appears on her debut Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions, he co-wrote a few songs with her as well.

And it is true that Curfman does play modern blues-rock that recalls Lang's, but it's not a direct copy, it's simply informed by the same influences.

After all, Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions makes it clear that Curfman has her own voice, one that's a little bolder and gutsier than Lang's.

Throughout the record, her singing is impassioned and playing is firey.

She does take the occasional stumble, but that's usually because the material is a little weak or undistinguished.

That doesn't happen too often, though, and even when it does, it's not enough to make Loud Guitars anything less than a top-notch debut.

[Loud Guitars, Big Suspicions was initially released as an independent album.

It was re-released by Arista in September 1999 with a different cover and mix, along with some new songs.].