Search - Suzanna Choffel :: Steady Eye Shaky Bow

01. Archer --
02. Raincloud --
03. So The Story Goes --
04. Animal --
05. Stumble --
06. Hot Shot --
07. Hold of the Night --
08. Race Car --
09. Inch --
10. Come Clean -- -- -- -- --
Austin native Suzanna Choffel gave the songs on her new album, STEADY EYE SHAKY BOW, time to mature and build character, like fine wine, before she stepped into the studio to record. The result is 10 elegant tracks that flow from the jazz-oriented style of her 2006 debut, SHUDDERS & RINGS, into a form she likes to call indie-soul-pop.

She started playing piano and writing songs at 4 or 5, played sax in her high-school band, and fell in love with the guitar at 17. While attending Texas State University, she performed in a roots-rock-funk band and then a jazz/hip-hop/fusion outfit. After earning a degree in musical technology from the College of Santa Fe ("It was very old-school," she says, "I learned to edit on tape"), the middle Choffel daughter went to Brazil to soak up its music and culture. When she got home, she did solo gigs and then put together a band.

The result is this strong collection of Danny Reisch-produced cuts, each an intricate, lush blend of catchiness and depth - recorded on warm-sounding tape, it should be noted. Its title comes from the song, "Archer," about being vulnerable to Cupid's bow even when you know the match isn't made in heaven.

" 'Steady eye shaky bow' really describes me and the way I live," says Choffel. "I've always had very strong, defined visions of what I want my life to be and what I want to do, but the way I get there and go after them is round-about and meandering, a bit shaky."

Maybe so, but with STEADY EYE SHAKY BOW, this archer has landed a bulls-eye.