Susanna Westwood - Debut EP

Knew little to nothing about this singer until a review copy of the EP dropped through the letterbox. Four tracks - three original compositions and a cover of Al Green's "Tired Of Being Alone".

The PR describes Westwood thus....

"An artist who embodies everything soul should be - strength, beauty, honesty that takes your breath away and a sheer belief in something better"

and

"With a vocal hewn from the bedrock of gospel from an early age, flavoured by travels in Africa, Israel, Canada and North America, and fired with a shot of pure New York magic...."

PR guys and gals don't you just love 'em. This is a perfectly pleasant debut, but let's face it, even Aretha would struggle to live up to that billing! The songwriting is actually pretty good, although it's not particularly original. Ironically, the originality of the arrangement of the Green track somewhat hampers the impact of the song, although it is here more than the originals that Westwood's take on soul showcases the jazz infusions she's picked up along the way. Not bad vocally, but not on the strength of this opening gambit as yet unquestionably special. It's on her own label, so future release may well be worth keeping an eye and ear on to see if Westwood's development as singer and writer goes someway to justifying the PR hype.

In the meantime you can visit the Susanna Westwood web site and judge for yourself.