|
Susan Werner
Susan Werner “I Can’t Be New”
(Koch)
Review by Matt Robinson
 Ah
for the days of good old-fashioned songcraft when songwriters made every
lyric and every note really mean something, without teched-out tricks and
audio smokescreens. Fortunately, those days are not completely gone!
On her new album, “I Can’t Be New,” singer/songwriter (in every sense of
the words) Susan Werner delivers a baker’s dozen of thoughtful and
well-honed selections. The title track (which itself bespeaks a refusal to
be a flavor-of-the-day) and the ukulele-laden “Let’s Regret This In
Advance” swing clever lyrics on timeless rhythms reminiscent of Count
Basie and the Dorsey brothers. “Don’t I Know You” and “Late for the Dance”
are classic piano bar tunes one, a smoky recollection of a hazy memory;
the other, a modern day Cinderella story in which getting to the ball is
the crux of the problem. “Much At All” and “Stay On Your Side of Town” use
simple orchestrations to revel in the simple life lived alone. The cool
and sparkling “Tall Drink of Water” sways on a sliding dobro and “No One
Needs to Know” and “I’m Not Sure” use spare cellos, gentle Spanish
guitars, and Werner’s wandering whispers to tell musical secrets we all
have shared. Throughout the album, Werner does a great deal with very
little (“little” in terms of instrumentation, not in terms of talent),
just like the greats of days gone by. And though producer Crit Harmon does
use the old Victrola sound on a few tracks, his hand is most often light
on the knobs, allowing Werner’s rich voice and intelligent lyrics to shine
through.
- Matthew S. Robinson
c. 2004, M. S. Robinson, ARR
|
