A woman perched between the idealistic young years and the deepening pragmatism of full-on adulthood, spilling the contents of her mind and heart into music: that’s what comes to mind when encountering SuCh and hearing her debut CD release, Trial and Error.
The appeal of SuCh’s approach is what stands out so boldly in her lyrics and vocals—-the insight shared in her songs gives them a stream-of-consciousness, journal-type feel (or blog, depending on which generation is listening), but her level of poise demonstrates worldliness. Influences from SuCh’s idols are sometimes easy to pick up on, such as the Patrice Rushen feel of “Open Book,” or the tangy, whimsical Badu-edge found in “Sugar Maple” and “Bump This,” which captures the uninhibited joy and infectiousness of “Golden” by Jill Scott.
SuCh is capable of sharing deeply-rooted imperfections and vulnerabilities, as well as having enough self-love to get ghost if things aren’t as they should be. Her inner rocker roars out in “Frustrated,” the saltiness of “Wake-Up Call” is sweetened with stirring vocals and plaintive piano (“Have we become so desensitized/ to not recognize we are, perpetuating our own demise?”) and the perspective of “You” is so authentic in its recounting of a physically abused woman that it’s almost too painful to sit through.
For some soul listeners, SuCh may need more polish as a vocalist—-she has moments of rasp and strain that could be considered irritating or endearing, depending again on which generation is listening—-and the some of the tracks, production-wise, have a canny, treble-heavy feel. However, those who value proficiency over polish will enjoy SuCh’s spin on life’s Trial and Error. She is a young artist worth watching. Recommended.
By Melody Charles
