Customer Reviews

Home On The Hill

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3 star:		(1)
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Suzie Glaze's CD debut is a stunner. She's been quietly making a name for herself in southern California, and with this CD, a much wider audience can discover her breath-taking talents. Backed by the Eight-Hand String Band, she possesses one of the most distinctive and hauntingly evocative voices out there today. She emotionally hooks you from the first moments of the first song, and doesn't let go. This collection mixes originals and classics, but she makes every one of them her own. The production is superb, ranging from mariachi to stark simplicity. Besides an extraordinary voice, what sets Susie Glaze apart is that she sings straight from the heart, with passion, sadness, and yearning. Unlike the slick, market-tested, pre-chewed, musical pablum that predominates these days, this CD will haunt you long after it's over.

Don't let the gentle spoken voice of Susie Glaze at the beginning of this CD fool you. After "One More Mile" and "Wichita", you might want to make sure your barn's not burning. Susie does that. She will glide from a plaintive moan to a cozy vibrato and every choice she makes seems perfect. Every song is a journey and her versatility as a vocal stylist is impressive and downright unbelievable at times. The musicians embrace her and dance with her. Their excellent playing and harmonies embellish and propel her but never overwhelm her. Susie's choice to interpret Lucinda Williams, Gillian Welch and Jean Ritchie is bold, but, by God, Susie stakes a claim and makes those songs her own. My favorite cut is "Paper Wings". That song should be on the radio. I just hit the repeat button.

Susie Glaze has a vocal styling that makes you want to listen over and over. This well crafted CD has a little bit of everything. If you like the soundtrack to "Oh brother where art thou..." you'll love the variety of traditional tunes, mixed with some real gems, like "Healing Waters", a song for anyone who has suffered loss.

Susie Glaze has a remarkable voice and I am very fond of American folk music. But the choice of songs on this CD is not very good, and most of the songs are very forgettable. I played this CD a couple of times when I first got it, but I have just about given up on it.

It's that time of my life when I'm discovering all kinds of new things....and Susie Glaze is one of them. I had the privelege of witnessing one of her performances at the recent Topanga Fiddle Festival in California. I was mesmerized with the traditional appalachian songs and her perfect pure and clear voice that delivered them. This album is an eclectic version of what I first heard and truly displays her versatility. I listen often because I'm "hooked" on the sound and can hardly wait for her new album which has more of the tradtional Appalachian songs.

The cover picture immediately set me at ease, with Susie standing on a hillside, guitar in hand, looking out across the countryside. The music contained within lived up to all my expectations. Suzie has a plaintive voice, well suited to the folk-country songs that she sings. Actually, there is more variation than that description suggests. There are mountain ballads, a touch of bluegrass and even a dash of Tex-Mex swing. Yet, her strongest influence appears to be Jean Ritchie. I say appears, because I don't remember hearing any of Jean's music - something I hope to rectify in due course.

There are plenty of covers here, but the songs are not generally well known except to those who've heard the original versions. By far the most famous song is Making plans, originally written by Johnny Russell, but recorded by many different country singers, particularly Dolly Parton - she recorded it as a duet with Porter Wagoner, as part of the Trio with Linda and Emmylou, and again as a duet with Johnny Russell on his final album Although Dolly is my favorite singer, I am most impressed with Susie's version of the song.

The other covers include One more mile (Jean Ritchie), Paper wings, Wichita (Gillian Welch) and Prove my love (Lucinda Williams). There are also several traditional songs, often arranged by, or with new lyrics by, Jean Ritchie, as well as the occasional original.

Susie is clearly steeped in tradition and deserves the support of all who love traditional music. The instrumentation features several traditional instruments. A couple of tracks feature electric guitar and another features a trumpet, but the overall feel of the album is traditional folk-country of the highest quality.

Susie Glaze is a gem just waiting to be found. This new voice holds a life's experience of interpretation. Ancient ballads are reborn with piercing clear tones that would fill any holler in Appalachia. And the way she is able to cross over into contemporary styling, like with Paper Wings, or a South-of-the-Border feel on My Only Love is effortless. She has surrounded herself with some of the finest musicians that play this genre. If you like Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, or Dolly Parton, get this CD, you will wear it out!