Customer Reviews

The Subway Recordings

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Susan Cagle does more than just provide us with a lush, thoughtful debut album. What she does is records it live between subway stations at Times Square and Grand Central Station, both during rush hour and late at night. So what you hear is what she is, these vocals aren't processed like most singers, these are live, raw, and beautiful. I would have liked more songs, as the album feels like it ends before it is time for it to end. Oh well. The music is simple, not amplified by electronic blips and synths, and no beatbox. All the instruments are live, all the emotion is real, and yes...those are real subway cars passing by in the background. What the result of all of this is, is a gritty, realistic feeling album that lends backbone and spirit to the amazing songwriting and talent of Ms. Cagle.

Buy this. It is amazing.

I caught Susan Cagle at the Times Square station in NYC last year and I have been a fan ever since. This album really evokes what her shows in the subways of NYC are like without the great experience of seeing the tired masses huddled around her and her band (brothers and sisters? They look an awful lot like her)and hanging on to her every word. Susan Cagle is definitely an anomaly in the city. Performers of her caliber are not found everyday...she should definitely be a star!

What is really neat about Susan Cagle is how she combines a folky pop sound with hooks indicative of artists like Michelle Branch! If you're worried, the subway sounds don't interfere with the album so much that it gets too distracting. There's some live energy on this album. Susan is a new fave of mine.

... is exactly what I thought when I first heard 'Manhattan Cowboy,' a toe-tapping breath of fresh air that deserves to be heard. Susan Cagle presents, in my opinion, folk music with a pop twist with her youthful, vibrant vocals in this debut outing that should find her on solid ground. While I could go on and on about what I like about her soulful lyrics and the value of the presentation here (the album was recorded at subway stations across New York), I'd rather heave the discovery to those of you most interested in checking out this stellar disk ... however, I will point you in the direction of 'Manhattan Cowboy,' 'Ask Me,' and 'Ain't It Good To Know' as wonderful places to start.

I had the pleasure of seeing Susan in the subways of NYC last year and i was immediately hooked. Her songs were insanely catchy. I only heard her songs once but found myself singing them weeks later. Her album is the same. The songs are catchy and melodic, highlighted by her amazing voice. I can't recommend this enough.

A creative, catchy, thoughtful debut. Overall, I find it fantastic! I first heard The Cagle Band several years ago when Susan was a little kid strumming a guitar larger than her little frame all under the watchful eyes of her family. It was interesting to see and hear this talented family. I heard Susan again recently when I was rushing to catch a train. At first, I was slowed by her beautiful voice (mesmerized perhaps), then it was the smiling crowd that had gathered to hear her. When I realized it was the same little girl--all grown up--I was floored! I am thrilled that she is being discovered by the masses. I met her and her siblings when I bought a self-made CD that she was selling out of her guitar case. I have since seen her perform at the David Blaine underwater thingy at Lincoln Center and then before the 2006 MTV Music Awards. I hope and pray that she gets whatever she wants from the music industry and that she retains her cool, sweet, pleasant demeanor throughout. Once she writes more music and gets into a recording studio, my bet is that she'll outshine the pop singers with her talent. She won't wow you with a strong voice or obvious sexuality (one or both of which seems to be cranked out by the industry today). Rather, her music will make you smile. It'll remind you that musician/artists are still working. Her music is innocent, catchy, and heartfelt.

I first heard Susan Cagle at the subway station at Grand Central Station about three or four years ago. I was in a rush, like everyone else, but I had to stop and listen to this bright light of a voice shimmering in the grunge of the subway. I bought one of the CDs she had in her guitar case and it immediately became a favorite. Now I love the Subway Recordings. True, the subway acoustics don't give her voice justice. But just like the first time I heard her, her voice rings out true and fresh, sweet and melodious, and it's impossible not to fall in love with her music.

I purchased this cd after seeing Susan Cagle on Oprah. I was a little disappointed that the song "Dear Oprah" was not on it. However, I really enjoy the entire cd, which is rare these days. I usually do not like "live" recordings, but the sounds of the subway at the beginning and end of the songs really add to the experience. Also, since Cagle's audience doesn't know the words to her songs you don't hear the crowd singing along which can be annoying. I really like "Shakespeare," "Manhattan Cowboy," and "Ain't it Good to Know". I feel like I can relate to the lyrics in "Shakespeare" and "Ain't it Good to Know" (although I hate the "word" ain't). "Manhattan Cowboy" is just a fun song. I keep this cd in my car, and enjoy singing along to it on my long drive to work.

I hope that this leads to bigger and better things for Susan Cagle. This set is very easy to listen to and the background noise you hear in the subway stations that this was recorded in while in most cases would be a distration, in this case enhances the experience. If you close your eyes while listening you can almost picture yourself standing on the platform watching this woman work for her big break.

What made me stop and listen to Susan Cagle two years ago in Penn Station was her passionate and authentic voice, one that believed in what she was singing. I remember feeling really happy, like my soul had been lightened, when I heard her.

One of her younger brothers was selling a homemade CD (she was known as "The Cagle Band" then) which only had 5 songs on it (two of which are on her debut cd - "Dream" and "Ain't It Good to Know") - I knew I had to buy it; I had no doubt she would make it one day. The CD was also raw-sounding, and the songs/overall CD ended too soon, but it was still a great taste of her music.

After that time in Penn, I would always encounter Susan Cagle's music on tough days when I needed to feel joy--without fail, I would hear her in subway stations I happened to be passing through.

I can't wait to buy this CD and hear what she's been up to since the "Cagle Band" days...