Firefly Susan Marshall (Honeymouth Records) 3 1/2 stars out of 4 “That Susan Marshall has got a mouth on her. And from it emanates some of the most beautiful music in the city. Which is why, as her 2002 solo debut attested, they call her Honeymouth. Because that disc featured Marshall in full diva mode, belting out big bluesy rock and soul with gale force, her latest release is even more an unexpected surprise. Firefly is, for all intents and purposes, a cabaret jazz record. On it, the singer wraps her warm vocal cords around a well-chosen selection of jazz and rock standards and a quartet of originals co-written by her. The production by Marshall’s husband, Jeff Powell, is sparse, with tasteful support from the excellent Rick Steff on piano, studio ace Sam Shoup on bass (and flugel horn, another surprise) and occasional percussion from the ever-dependable Harry Peel. The result is a master class in under-singing. On such time-tested material as God Bless The Child, Marshall thankfully refrains from turning the melody into a grandstanding showcase. Instead, she favours serving the song, and the effect is to actually hear it for the first time in years. Her restrained interpretive skill (and the shifting of the sex of the protagonist) also add depth and melancholy to Steely Dan’s Dirty Work. Similarly, her take on How the Mighty Have Fallen, which European blues star Ana Popovic recorded as a barrelhouse romp, here becomes a dark warning from a sultry vixen. Ya make one false move and you re history, sings Marshall in a refrain that’s sure to fall on deaf ears because the voice of the siren is just too beautiful”. © Mark Jordan/The Commercial Appeal Memphis TN.
A beautiful soul blues jazz album from the great vocalist and songwriter, Susan Marshall who has spent most of her career singing on other artists’ albums. This lady is so versatile, and the eclectic mix of songs on this album includes four original compositions. The remaining six tracks are classic jazz/blues and soul songs composed by artists that include Billie Holiday, Irving Berlin, and Van Morrison. Although songs like “Cry Me A River”, “What'll I Do”, and “God Bless The Child” have been covered umpteen times, they remain great timeless tunes especially when sung with real class. Great to hear another good cover of W.Becker & D.Fagen’s beautiful “Dirty Work”. The album is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Read more about Susan @ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Marshall_(musician) Listen to some video clips of this album @ http://youzeek.com/?Artist=Susan+Marshall&page=Albums&lng=EN and listen to Susan’s “Little Red” album. Support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 84.8 Mb]
TRACKS / COMPOSERS
1 Hard To Get Along With - Susan Marshall 4:03 *
2 Undecided - Sid Robin & Charlie Shavers 2:25
3 How The Mighty Have Fallen - Susan Marshall, William Lee Ellis 4:48
4 Dirty Work - W.Becker & D.Fagen 3:34
5 Cry Me A River - Arthur Hamilton 4:05
6 Everything You Had - Susan Marshall 3:15 *
7 God Bless The Child - Billie Holiday & Arthur Herzog, Jr. 4:20
8 Crazy Love - Van Morrison 3:47
9 What'll I Do - Irving Berlin 3:16
10 When It Glows - Susan Marshall 3:36 *
N.B: * Denotes co-written songs. Can anybody name the other composer/s?
MUSICIANS
Rick Steff - Piano
Sam Shoup - Double Bass, Flugelhorn
Harry Peel - Drums/Percussion
Susan Marshall - Lead & Backing Vocals
Steve Selvidge, Bertram Brown - Backing Vocals
SHORT BIO
Soulful Tennessee-based singer/songwriter Susan Marshall began her music career as a classical singer before becoming a successful backup vocalist for the likes of Lenny Kravitz, the Afghan Whigs, Cat Power, and Lucinda Williams. Raised in Memphis, Marshall spent her formative years soaking up the region's rich musical legacy, honing her own impressive pipes while listening to Otis Redding, Al Green, Mavis Staples, and Elvis Presley. She relocated to New York City in her early twenties, where she spent six years with the off-Broadway rep company Light Opera of Manhattan before moving back to Memphis where she co-founded and fronted the bluesy early-'90s retro-rock group the Mother Station. The band released one album (Brand New Bag) on the Warner Bros. satellite label EastWest in 1994 and scored a radio hit with "Put the Blame on Me" before calling it quits. Marshall released her debut solo album, Susan Marshall Is Honey Mouth, in 2002, garnering both critical and commercial acclaim. Released in 2005, Firefly found the powerhouse singer backed by a jazz combo, and 2009 saw the release of Little Red, which featured appearances from Greg Dulli (Afghan Whigs, Gutter Twins), Dan Lavery (Tonic, the Fray), Matt Pence (Centro-Matic), and Lucinda Williams. James © Christopher Monger © 2014 AllMusic, a division of All Media Network, LLC. | All Rights Reserved
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