Artist: Suzanne Slair
Album: Nowhere Road
Label: Shirley Boy
Release Date: 3.30.2018
Suzanne Slair may initially give one the impression she is a country artist but while there are some country elements in her work, she is mostly a pop artist, much more on the smooth than gritty side. This is only her second album and although her talents, especially vocal, are apparent, it seems as if she hasn’t yet developed a focused, signature sound. Having won the John Lennon Songwriting Award for the opening track, “Grace,” she does indeed show promise.
The other notable songs here are “Crossroads” which carries a catchy melody and wondrous harmonies from the backing vocalists. The closer, “Little World” is a perky tune driven by banjo. Dobro, and mandolin – all played by multi-instrumentalist and Grammy winning producer John Keane who sparkles on various tracks. The outlier track, unless you’re aware of Slair’s left leaning politics, is “Smoke and Mirrors”—a no-holds-barred attack on the current administration’s censorship of the media.
Slair, who originally hails from Calgary, Canada and now resides in West Hollywood, CA, brings an extensive musical background to her work. She attended a conservatory program in NYC at the age of 18, where she studied voice under the Metropolitan Opera’s mezzo-soprano, Ariel Bybee, and studied dance under Bob Fosse’s proteges at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. She composed and recorded musical scores and dance numbers for off-Broadway shows. She eventually tired of the “uptown” and found her other musical side on NYC’s Lower East Side live music scene in clubs such as CBGB’s, Don Hill’s, The Spiral, Acme Underground and others. When CBGB’s closed in 2006, that prompted Suzanne’s move to Austin TX, where she developed a deeper connection to her songwriting. She recorded her first full length album, 2015’s Never Return the Same.
Slair’s stature is rising as evidenced by the high profile artists who join her on this effort. Nicky Sanders, the Grammy Award-winning fiddle player from Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, is on the track “Stink Eye” and Bridget Law (Elephant Revival) and Andy both fiddle on the track “Grace.” The aforementioned John Keane plays guitar, banjo, bass, mandolin, and backing vocals and blues/rock singer-guitarist Caroline Aiken, who was on Slair’s previous album adds background vocals.
Slair seems intent on incorporating many styles. There’s even an instrumental “Ode de Flo” which is carried by cello and fiddle. Undoubtedly gifted and ambitious, Slair has some great moments but ultimately, may be trying to do too much.
—Jim Hynes
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