CD Review: Susan Cattaneo “Haunted Heart”

Susan Cattaneo is a singer-songwriter that has been making music for several years now. The musician side of Cattaneo comes out only when the professor side of her personality is not busy. She has been creating albums of her original music for years now. Her newest release, Haunted Heart is now available.

The new release from Susan Cattaneo begins with “Haunted Heart Prelude”. While only a short introduction to the album’s title track, the soft and easy track gives a nice preview to what is to come.

The Haunted Heart release from Susan Cattaneo officially begins with the track “Abide”. The track features a folk/blues sound in its musical approach. The lyrical content about the hardship of living through a drought also adds a bit more of the folk influence to the track. The two musical styles of blues and folk seem to blend flawlessly into one simple style that brings the lyrics to life.

The song of “Lorelei” seems to be very timeless. The song brings to mind something to would have been created by Loretta Lynn and feels as if it would fit in perfectly with anything that is considered “Classic Country” while still having a modern-day appeal for modern Country listeners. With the timeless feel to it, the track proves that Susan Cattaneo knows what she is talking about when she teaches her students about songwriting. The musicians that helped Cattaneo create this track should be proud of making something that sounds so incredibly authentic.

With the song “Well Worth the Whiskey,” Susan Cattaneo lets out her inner bad girl. The lyrics of the song add a bit of humor to the album and seem to show a slightly different side to her personality. The track about someone who is a lot more fun with a few drinks has a fun, modern Country feel to it and the track would easily fit alongside anything that is found on today’s Country radio stations.

While “Well Worth the Whiskey” has a lot energy to go along with the slightly humorous lyrics, the track “Revival” slows things down with an easier musical delivery. The song once again brings together the blues and a little folk flavor to create a track with a gentle rolling feel. While not a religious song, the track revolves a story of a travelling revival show that comes to town. “Revival” is yet another song on the Haunted Heart release from Susan Cattaneo that shows off Cattaneo’s writing skills as this track allows Cattaneo to shape a storyline within the lyrics in the song. The entire track becomes a very entertaining four minutes of musical entertainment.

The track “Queen of the Dancehall” is a song that once again puts Cattaneo’s songwriting skills to use as she creates another song that puts a story to music. The lyrics of this song easily take the listener into small town America and set the scene for a brief glimpse into the life of a lady who entertains the people of that small town. The slow pace of the music helps add a little sadness to the Haunted Heart release from Susan Cattaneo.

It takes a long time to get to the title track but it’s worth it. The track “Haunted Heart” finds Susan Cattaneo creating a track that seems like a mix of Classic Country and Old Timey music. The track contains one of the best chances for the listener to hear Cattaneo’s abilities as a singer as the slow pace of the track gives her the chance to let her voice shine. The soft, slow music of the song takes the listener to another time and place as the track has a definite timeless feel to it. The lyrics of the song are definitely from a simpler time, as well. The title track is yet another track on the release that shows off Cattaneo’s songwriting ability.

The Haunted Heart release from Susan Cattaneo is a real find if you enjoy listening to songwriters who know how to draw the listener in to their music. This album proves that Cattaneo is one of those writers.

Reviewer: Matheson Kamin
Rating: **** (four stars)

Click HERE to check out the video to “Haunted Heart” from Susan Cattaneo.

 

Author	Susan Cattaneo
E-mail	susan@jerseygirlmusic.com
URL	http://www.susancattaneo.com
Comment	Dear Matheson! Thank you so much for your lovely review of my album, Haunted Heart! It made my day, week, month, year! xo Susan 🙂

 

Single Review: Canary “Let Down Your Guard”

Boston, Massachusetts is the home to the rock band Canary. The band has created their own sound by taking elements from Classic Rock bands. Having already released an EP by the title of Handsome Stranger, Canary has just put out a single entitled “Let down Your Guard”.

“Let down Your Guard” starts with a drumbeat before the rest of the band contributes to the Blues/Rock feel of the track that brings to mind the Peter Green days of Fleetwood Mac. The song is sung with a soulful approach to the lyrics. The bluesy feel of the music coupled with the soulful vocals create a song that feels as if it should have been created right around the beginning of the first British Invasion by the English bands that were just then discovering the music of the Blues players like B.B. King or John Lee Hooker.

The track has a definite quality that belongs to that particular time in music but also seems to carry with it a certain timeless feel to it so it doesn’t seem so dated. On “Let down Your Guard,” Boston’s Canary creates a strong track that gives their fans a slightly different take on the band’s more contemporary feel to their music. With this track, the band proves that there are still people out there who care about the music that influenced them. No matter whether you are a fan of the more modern rock music or a fan of Classic Rock, “Let down Your Guard” from Canary is a strong track that satisfies either musical mindset.

 
Artist: Canary
Single Review: “Let down Your Guard”
Review by Matheson Kamin

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Click HERE for the live video of “Let down Your Guard” from Canary.