Susan Cowsill Brings Optimism to the Gulf
Daytona Beach Music | 07/11/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Susan Cowsill and her musical husband Russ Broussard live in Louisiana and went through Katrina losses and the loss of 2 of the Cowsills in recent years. This CD brings more hope than melancholy tones and is very refreshing with repeated playing. This is the perfect offset to the present gulf oil crisis.
The instrumentation is great with guitars, violin, cello, and even 3 surviving Cowsill brothers (Bob, Paul, and John) on harmony vocals on "River of Love" along with Bangle Victoria Peterson Cowsill. Susan's phrasing on "The Way That it Goes" is fantastic. There is plently of Lousiana love in "ONOLA" and "Cresent City Sneaux."
In addition to her own great compositions, Susan also does a tender reading of Jimmy Webb's "Galveston" which originally debuted in the Top 100 in the same month and year (March 1969) as the Cowsills' "Hair," so it feels like a reflective sequel.
Listen to the song samples on line, but rather than downloading the songs, I advise buying the CD package with lyrics contained, this time, plus Susan's swirling art work.
This is a strong follow up to Susan Cowsills' Just Believe It, with timely, and hopeful content. Susan brings back our hopes from the '60s to modern times."
"Lighthouse" is a journey
Barb from the Board | Colorado, United States | 06/27/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Susan Cowsill's voice is outstanding. Gritty, natural, and full of emotion. Her songwriting, however, is incredible! She weaves a story of her days following Katrina that hit her beloved New Orleans. It left her and her family homeless for a time and grieving for her brother. Susan lets us into her innermost thoughts. We become her friends. It is truly a poignant CD. And is a gift. One of the best indie CDs out there."