Oh Susanna ‘Soon The Birds’ – Edmonton Journal

Soon the Birds Oh Susanna (Outside)
April 26, 2011

Canada might not have enough trustworthy, or even inspiring, politicians, but we suffer from a glut of talented female singersongwriters.

Lost in the deluge is Oh Susanna, a folk-roots musician now based in Toronto. With the release of Soon the Birds, the Vancouver native has five full-length albums to her name -and the support of respected musicians such as Jim Cuddy, Bazil Donovan and Van Dyke Parks -but she has yet to receive the same veneration as Sarah Harmer, Kathleen Edwards or even newcomer Hannah Georgas. On her latest, Oh Susanna’s voice doesn’t possess quite the same ache as some of her counterparts -she only gets close on Long Black Train, a young widow’s lament; and the title track, lightly sprinkled with a gentle haze of pedal steel guitar and rootsy organs. What the artist also known as Suzie Ungerleider lacks in dejection she more than makes up with frankness as she sings about cold-hearted girls, cruel boys, small towns and murder in Canada’s wild west, often with a joyous, bright voice and backed by rumbly guitars, sprightly banjos and mandolins. Most memorable line: “You flipped the bird and mooned your meat to the town.” How can you not love a girl who writes such, er, vivid lyrics?

Oh Susanna will perform Wednesday, June 8 with Matthew Barber at The Pawn Shop. Tickets are available at yeglive.ca. Barber will release his sixth and self-titled album on May 31.

Sandra Sperounes, Edmonton Journal