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Dec 18,2005 - Dec 25,2005 |
Oh Susanna Now Brighter
Toronto songstress broadens her sound on new disc release
By Kerry Doole
Originally Published: 2003-09-14
Will the faithful fans of Vancouver-raised, Toronto-based singer/songwriter Oh Susanna accept her brighter and rockier incarnation? That is a question soon to be answered, as her third album hits the streets next week.
Oh Susanna (real name Suzie Ungerleider) has forged a reputation as a singer with a haunting and pure voice and a writer of dark and melancholy roots-oriented songs. Those elements remain on the excellent Oh Susanna, but they share space with a rockier sound and some tunes that reflect a happier and more optimistic Suzie.
In a chat with Tandem in an Annex coffee shop, Ungerleider reflected upon the changes. "Some of it is not as gut-wrenching, heartbroken or heavy or that dreamy thing," she agrees. "I am not in the same place as I was when I made that last album [2001's Sleepy Little Sailor]. I never feel like I want to make the same record. I grew up listening to people who have longevity and whose idea was to make an album that sounded different than the last one, like David Bowie."
"My tendency had been to write these downbeat and moody songs that matched my psyche at the time. But playing them with the band and feeling like I have more of a place in playing music, that heals that thing. Then what do you do? You can't just do this fake moody thing. That would be dishonest and I think the songs would be bad, just sort of formulaic and empty. I know I will get my ass kicked for saying this, but sometimes I will listen to Tom Waits and brilliant as he is, I go 'are you really in the same mood, the same obsession as when you wrote Raindogs, or are you just writing a Tom Waits song?' You can get caught in your own persona."
There's scope for optimism in her career now too. Long a critical favourite, Suzie has found it difficult to gain wider recognition in North America. England and Europe have taken a shine to her, however. In fact, English label Hot Records released the new album (to rave reviews) back in May, and she has toured there twice since then.
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