Search - Susan Marshall, Honey Mouth :: Susan Marshall Is Honey Mouth

What a voice

berkstin | With my eskimo friend | 09/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Susan Marshall when she was a backup singer for the Afghan Whigs (the best, most underrated American rock band of the 1990's); she toured with them in 1998, and her rendition of the Whigs' song "My Curse" was to me the highlight of the show. This is (I think) her first solo record, and in general it's great. You can tell she's worked with a lot of different people and bands in the past, as the songs range from piano-and-vocal Rodney Crowell covers to deep, dark hard rock grooves. The songwriting is uneven, and some of the songs are a little too middle-of-the-road blues rock for my taste, but all that's a bit beside the point. The reason to buy this album is the Voice. Marshall has a huge, clear, gorgeous voice, an instrument that she can work wonders with. She can do the growly blues mama, the operatic soprano, the sexy coo, whatever you want. And you can feel that she feels it too, which is the element lacking in so many of today's plasticized multi-octave divas.
I hope Susan Marshall gets a record deal, I hope she either works on her songwriting or gets Greg Dulli and other songsmiths to help her more, and I hope she someday records a studio version of "My Curse," because she has too much talent to not be heard by more people."