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  • Peace is in my soul

  • Peace is in my soul

  • Peace is in my soul

MUSIC EXISTENCE: Album Review: Suzanne’s Band “Ice & Fire”

There’s irrefutable artistry on display from the moment Suzanne’s Band’s latest release, the nine-track LP Ice & Fire, begins. Utilizing a stripped-down, classic blues riff fueled by nothing but acoustic guitar and vocals in the opening seconds of album opener “Back To Brown,” there’s clear and concise attention to detail from the band, placed front and center from the jump. The ensemble comes in a few seconds later and further elevates the riff into a bombastic presentation for the rest of the group to play off of, and by the time the song comes to a close, there’s no denying the keen sense for blues and rock ’n’ roll that Suzanne’s Band proudly inhibits.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/suzannesbandmusic/

Opening up the floor to more ethereal and emotionally-fueled ballads, “Indio” comes next. A classic tale is told through the interwoven lyrics from Suzanne’s Band’s very own Mia Suzanne Walker, and the chorus is greatly punctuated by beautiful harmonies that mesh perfectly with the instrumental footing that the rest of the band provides. Maintaining an upbeat pace more in line with Ice & Fire’s first track, “Kick It To The Curb” provides a good dose of levity in comparison — a fairly light offering, “Kick It…” focuses wholeheartedly on its fun chorus and catchy versatility. “By The Bayou” finds a tight balance between the aforementioned ballads and lighter fare that has preceded it by giving listeners a narrative-driven piece of lyricism tinged with a bittersweet yearning for days gone by. The tonal stability gives “Bayou” the edge it needs to be a memorable highlight from the album, and the song works in part as the emotional glue necessary to hold the first and second halves of the project together.

Ice & Fire continues full speed ahead with “Night Blues,” a structurally meta dance hit that will unquestionably become a staple at Suzanne’s Band’s live shows, and the eponymous track “Ice and Fire,” which functions as a chillingly cool piece of music fit for Tarantino as it drips with desire in its inspired Southern and Spanish-guitar stylings. “Reach You” pivots into piano ballad territory, which was a bold choice; allowing the album to be carried by guitars and classic rock compositions thus far, “Reach You” could very well have fallen flat. Suzanne’s Band seems well aware of the risks of delving into earnestness and raises expectations for the remaining third of the album by fully landing this piano ballad-shaped plane without so much as a scratch. “Reach You” not only fully works within the scope of Ice & Fire, but it raises the album’s credibility substantially with its tenderness and open-hearted vulnerability.

 

 

As the album comes to a close, “Something Else” doubles down on the ballad motif but keeps things a tad more upbeat; the melancholy underbelly ever permeates, but the uplifting message of overcoming fears and doubts proudly wins out the sulking possibilities another ballad could otherwise pose. Finally, “Can’t Keep Me Down” arrives on the scene in full funky fashion, returning to the party-driven mindset that the album had been missing for a few tracks. The contrast against the slower, softer-spoken songs that precede the album’s finale does wonders for the victory lap that this ninth track takes listeners on. Ice & Fire manages to tell an entire emotional arc within its mere thirty minutes, and by the end of it, listeners are left breathless and hungry for more. Ice & Fire is a resounding success of a release and audiences will assuredly gel with all the album and Suzanne’s Band have to offer.

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Original article: https://musicexistence.com/blog/2022/01/28/album-review-suzannes-band-ice-fire/

HOLLYWOOD DIGEST: Suzanne’s Band – Ice & Fire (LP)

There’s something in the water down in Texas. You’ve got Kelly Clarkson and Beyoncé in recent years, but for decades American music has been greatly indebted to an endless list of brash Texans giving the rest of the country the ol’ what-for by neglecting to keep them in the same conversation as Tennessee’s music scene. You’ve got icons Selena, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and Stevie Ray Vaughan for starters, and with Ice & Fire from Suzanne’s Band, there’s another name to carve into the famed Texas musician halls: Mia Suzanne Walker.

URL: https://suzannesband.com/

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/suzannesband/

Ice & Fire functions as Suzanne’s Band’s second album to release within Walker’s solo career, following 2020’s well-received independent full-length release Back To You and “Underneath the Tree,” a single released for Christmas in 2021. Establishing Walker’s songwriting as a crucial component in modern independent music, Ice & Fire manages to not only flex the southern blues and rock genre side of Walker’s portfolio, but it expresses a vital understanding of maintaining an emotional interior with softer moments other artists might choose to neglect or ignore altogether.

It’s not with every album that a musician can pen something that could be taken as the next James Bond theme (see title track “Ice and Fire”) before pivoting into something as emotionally raw and vulnerable as they come (“Reach You”), but Walker can tiptoe the line with the magic act of pulling it off becoming all the more enjoyable to pay attention to as you see the various pieces connect to form the bigger picture.

Album opener “Back To Brown” starts with a bang, setting the stage for fans of the genre with a send-up to the tried and true sounds of country-driven rock and roll, but everything beyond this initial track pushes the album’s boundaries further out. The remarkable act of never feeling stretched thin is the thing worth marveling at, as both the lyrical content and musical compositions feel at home in every change of scenery. Another album standout comes in the form of “By The Bayou,” which uses nostalgia and memory-play to great effect with its bittersweet, poignant lyrics and spot-on melody.

Suzanne’s Band gives listeners a refreshing taste of old and new, providing anyone listening with the chance to kick off their shoes or paint the town red — each song within Ice & Fire provides a soundtrack to a different type of mood and anthem, and fans will find themselves suited to every second of it the more the LP reveals itself to them.

Modern independent music has suffered a massive drought in the rock genre and its offshoots more than anything else in recent years, but it’s projects like Ice & Fire that give hope and stoke the metaphorical fire that will eventually light the way for the mainstream return of the genre. Suzanne’s Band are trailblazers as much as they feel like classic legends of the genre, and I know I’ll be there for the next project with open ears, ready to pay full attention to whatever they have to say.

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Original article: https://thehollywooddigest.com/suzannes-band-ice-fire-lp/

MELODY MAKER MAGAZINE: Suzanne’s Band Releases “Ice & Fire”

Hot off the release of their 2020 album Back to You, Suzanne’s Band is back with another standout addition for the modern independent blues-rock canon with Ice & Fire. Fans will recognize a great deal of familiarity between this and Walker’s previous songs, but longtime listeners and fans can rest assured that Walker and company still have a great deal of ground to lay on the road they’ve already seemingly paved with perfection. Perfection is a lofty goal … but it can be forged with the help of ice and fire.

URL: https://suzannesband.com/

In the mere half-decade that Suzanne’s Band has been around, the band has been doing everything but resting on their laurels. Even with bandleader Mia Suzanne Walker’s recent acceptance into the Recording Academy, Suzanne’s Band have been pushing themselves to the limit with every new release. As Suzanne’s Band functions first and foremost as a solo project for Walker, each project understandably comes from her own life experiences and the songs feel greatly personal. Ice & Fire is an album that feels as personal as they come clocking in at nine tracks and just over thirty minutes long. Brevity is the soul of wit, truly, as Walker manages to get in and out, never overstaying her welcome. The short runtime is almost distracting in the way it leaves audiences craving more music, more heartfelt lyricism, but Suzanne’s Band is never far from the recording studio and a follow-up is almost guaranteed to be certain and near.

Ice & Fire is a substantial piece of work, for as short as it is. The album relishes its pinpointed existence within the realms of blues/country funk but isn’t afraid to wear its heart on its sleeve. For every upbeat, pop-driven single (give “Night Blues” a listen for something that fits the bill), listeners will be rewarded with a softer approach to Walker’s songwriting — indeed, songs like “Reach You” or “By the Bayou” serve as unexpected standouts for Ice & Fire as they tap into something wholly unanticipated when compared to the project’s more up-tempo offerings. The impeccable balancing act of tone and marketable content from Suzanne’s Band is something major artists spend entire careers chasing, but Walker has the knack down pat and only two albums into her solo career!

A couple of other favorite tracks include the title track, “Ice and Fire,” as it paints a warm, sultry picture of ill-fated, yet much-needed, romance, as well as “Indio,” which serves early on as an emotional anchor for listeners. The former allows Walker to play within the same sandbox as Chris Isaak’s well-known “Wicked Game,” and the latter relinquishes a bit of Walker’s Texan image to the deserts of California, even if just for a few fleeting minutes.

There’s something for the novice as much as there is for musical veterans within Ice & Fire, and the brief runtime allows time for much-needed repeat listens. Walker feels more in her pocket than ever and the future of Suzanne’s Band feels renewed and rejuvenated with the necessary icy-hot precautions needed to pull this confident and cool sophomore album off.

Chadwick Easton

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Original article: https://melodymakermagazine.com/2022/01/19/suzannes-band-releases-ice-fire/

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