Susan James - Sea Glass

  by Malcolm Carter

published: 9 / 11 / 2015

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Review

Of course, we are going to read how everyone has always really rated Susan James now that her sixth album is attracting so much attention. Except here of course. Susan James was a new name around these parts until ‘Sea Glass’ arrived, so there will be no comparisons to her previous five albums, no indication if James has progressed musically or changed her vision in any way but just an appraisal of what James offers on this album. To anyone who is in the same position then just a cursory listen to the opening brace of songs will have you thinking that you’ve been missing out on a major talent and how the hell did that happen? Maybe we’ve been looking in the wrong places. A few facts then; Susan James wrote all the ten songs on ‘Sea Glass’, she produced the album in Topanga Canyon and High Llama Sean O’Hagan did the string arrangements and arranged the other instruments with James (won over already), and it’s even better than what even that brace of facts might indicate. James has worked with O’Hagan before, singing back-up vocals on a couple of High Llama albums. James was born and raised in Southern California and, while considering the sound captured on ‘Sea Glass’ that’s no big surprise, the influence that presumably O’Hagan has brought to the finished sound lends a contemporary sheen to the Californian folk scene of the 60's/70's. The ornate setting these songs are cast in suit James’ soaring vocals, while the arrangements are spellbinding. The way that layers of Susan James vocals are constructed on some of the songs is simply breathtaking. Scanning the notes that accompany the album it appears that all the vocals heard on ‘Sea Glass’ are from James who also handled all the vocal arrangements. That’s some achievement as, if we forget the compelling sounds created by those musicians involved just for a moment, James proves here that she is a vocalist with no little talent. While James doesn’t have a particularly distinctive voice or even a traditional folk-sound to her vocals she has an assured vocal style that it’s impossible not to be drawn to. One can only imagine, on hearing tracks such as ‘Hey Julianne’ (to pick one early example) how much work has gone into James achieving this vocal sound. Her vocals are crystal-clear, and when a choir of James’ joins in it turns what is a psych-tinged baroque pop song into something special. The opening ‘Poseidon’s Daughter’, although just furnished with guitar, bass and drums, still manages to convey the ornate sound that prevails over the whole album. With that choir of Susan James’ sweetly singing, it’s an irresistible opening song and one that sets up what is to follow perfectly. The short passage where the vocals are musically unaccompanied is simply stunning, making the return of the instruments even more effective. It would be unfair to say that the use of marimba, Wurlitzer, harpsichord, mellotron, cello and violins, which while certainly contributing greatly to the overall vibe of these recordings, is, along with O’Hagan’s contribution, what makes ‘Sea Glass’ the special album it is. It’s James’ vocals and her remarkable songwriting and arranging skills that place this collection far outside the usual singer-songwriter set. Even when James does the expected acoustic singer-songwriter thing as on the title track, she preludes it with a predominantly (save for a very short wordless vocal contribution) instrumental which is crying out to be extended and expanded upon before she eases into the only song here which is just that voice and acoustic guitar; it’s a hauntingly beautiful song, encompassing all that was special about her acoustic forerunners. With the current crop of forgotten female singer/songwriters from the 60s/70s finally receiving the acclaim they deserved way back then and with a few actually being inspired to make new music again, it seems that the time is right for Susan James to take her rightful place as a shining light in the psych-folk-pop field. James might well have an eye on what has gone before musically but, make no mistake, she’s breaking new ground here.

Track Listing:-

1 Poseidon's Daughter
2 Awful Lot
3 Hey Julianne
4 Calico Valley
5 Ay Manzanita
6 Odyssea 1201
7 Sea Glass
8 Truth or Consequence
9 Tell Me Cosmo
10 Last Song

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/SusanJamesMus
http://www.susanjamesmusic.com/
https://susanjames.bandcamp.com/album/
https://twitter.com/SusanJamesMusic
https://instagram.com/susanjames/