Review Summary: Fusing folk with punk elements, with a dose of Americana thrown in the mix, you might be disappointed by the lack of punch in the music, but the simple chords are a showcase for her voice and the impact of her words.
Shawna Virago’s latest album titled Heaven Sent Delinquent is a powerful, confessional singer-songwriter album, brimming with tales of hope, courage and determination.
Intentionally raw and spare, the ten song collection from the transgender musician, who is also a published author and the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival, draws the listener thanks to Virago’s haunting voice and songwriting.
The arrangements are very simple and it seems that they take a backseat to allow Virago’s storytelling prowess to shine.
‘’These are the stories of my generation – a generation of transgender people who came out long before the internet, before transgender celebrities and reality TV stars…before anybody gave a *** about us’’ she said in a press release.
The lyrics she has penned on songs such as ‘Gender Armageddon’ grapple with a number of frustrations that transgender people are experiencing in today’s society.
On the title track ‘’Heaven Sent Delinquent’’ she sings ‘’The town was on the Hallelujah side, I would have stayed but I had too much pride’’, painting vivid pictures with her use of words.
Fusing folk with punk elements, with a dose of Americana thrown in the mix, you might be disappointed by the lack of punch in the music, but the simple chords are a showcase for her voice and the impact of her words.
