fbpx

INDIE MUSIC NEWS REPORTER: Suzanne’s Band – Ice and Fire (Remix)

Music is the consummate dynamo powering the emotional centers of our brains. It is forever fascinating how a song (and its meaning) can be interpreted in numerous ways by both the listener and the creator. It is equally fascinating when the interpretation at the audience’s end is more uniform. Latin Pop is one of those genres with a spellbinding ability to transcend language, age, and cultural barriers to reach our emotions. It sets itself apart by driving the listener onward with positive conviction. Of course, it is truly effective in the hands of a gifted practitioner. And Texas-based singer-songwriter Mia Suzanne Walker is, beyond a doubt, one of the gifted, as evidenced through her fiery Latin pop interpretation of her own single, titled ‘Ice and Fire.’

Written in the key of A minor, Ice and Fire is a hypnotically energetic number rendered with a dynamic range and arrangement that stays true to its name. Lyrically themed upon the immense passion between two individuals who are polar opposites, the very first notes struck by the acoustic guitar are evocative of the calm before the storm. In this story a warm soul is able to melt a cold heart as the two drown in a pool of desire. Indeed, the arrangement has been written with remarkable creativity endowed with the power to make the audience sit up and take notice. The ‘Icy’ parts are well-represented with a youthful-pop-like understated groove and an ever-reliable bass. The bass navigates the arrangement towards its eventual burst at the ‘Fire’ parts, which are well fueled by a brass ensemble (courtesy Geraldo Francisco). The drum follows the traditional two verse-1 bridge-1 chorus form keeping the song’s rhythm glued.

From verse to the chorus through the bridge, it is Walker whose versatile vocals seamlessly blend into the instrumentation. She spearheads the song with flawless transitions from the initial icy parts to the fiery bursts of the chorus. The song is not devoid of technical virtuosity either, as demonstrated by the aforementioned dynamic range in terms of the arrangement and performance of the instrumental parts (notably the brass section spearheaded by Francisco, who is Marc Anthony’s trumpet player).

Checkout the Pre-Save Link!

Walker’s vocal timber is at once glassy and raspy, befitting the genre beautifully. The lyrics are powerfully and creatively metaphoric and yet instantly decipherable, such as “We’re like ice and fire, drowning in a pool of desire, only one survivor…” The melodic topline is at once memorable, thanks in no small measure to the chord sequences and the bridge part which would have made Ricky Martin proud.

Just about every single aspect of this number has been crafted with sheer panache, endearing itself to the listener with its adlibs and contrapuntal interjections, both vocal and instrumental, empowering the lyrics with a flame that is likely to last in the listener’s mind long after the first listen. At a duration of three minutes and fifteen seconds, Ice and Fire is one wave-making number. It possesses effortless appeal and charm over audiences regardless of culture, age, or language, rendered by Suzanne’s Band in a manner that makes it a stellar addition to the Latin Pop genre.

About Suzanne’s Band

Americana (Country-Blues-Pop) combination Suzanne’s Band is the official vehicle driven by Texas-based singer/songwriter Mia Suzanne Walker. Suzanne’s career highlights include her recent acceptance into the Recording Academy (Grammy’s) and her rapid development as an established YouTube artist. Suzanne’s live shows are a blend of music covering the last seven decades and are usually a mix of classic rock, pop, rock, and country, along with Suzanne’s original songs woven into the setlist. Booking is available as a solo, duo, trio, or full band act. The non-genre-specific approach to Suzanne’s songwriting creates an entirely different basis to build on, along with introspective ideals and the importance of self-worth laced into the lyrics. If you’re looking for a deeper connection to life through music, Suzanne’s Band is it!

CANVAS REBEL: Meet Mia Suzanne Walker

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mia Suzanne Walker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Mia Suzanne, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today The more we talk about good leadership the more we think good leadership practices will spread and so we’d love for you to tell us a story about the best boss you’ve had and what they were like or what they did that was so great?

The best boss I ever had was a man named Joe Aldrich. I had just come out of a previous set of job environments that had left me rattled and susceptible to fear of constant failure and inability to perform well. Being hired by the new company and working under Joe was a mind opening experience. He was the wind in my sails. Every new thing I learned he encouraged me and raises were a regular occurrence as compared with a lot of companies today that just do a cost of living increase which barely covers the increase in healthcare coverage much less anything else. If I made a mistake, he showed me how easy it was to fix it and not to worry about it. The atmosphere at that company was so encouraging and easy going it was like working from home.

Mia Suzanne, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

After raising four children and retiring from the corporate world, I knew I wanted to do something with music but wasn’t sure what it was going to be. A friend of mine suggested joining the adult band at School of Rock and learning to play guitar. That was quite a trick for an “old dog” to learn at 51 years old. Within a year, I was inspired to start writing songs and found myself going to the keyboard (only had lessons a few years as a child) to write there as well using the guitar chords to help. I also started the business Suzanne’s Band (also a Veteran-owned business) so I could begin to record these original songs. Within two years I had released an EP, a holiday song and an album. A year after that I was releasing another holiday song and another album along with being nominated into the Grammy organization. Suzanne’s Band is divided into two aspects. Live performances are solo, duo, trio or full band shows and can be anything from covers of the Beatles to Harry Styles and everything in between in genres of pop, country and rock. Because there is such a variety of decades and genre options, clients can “dial in” a more personalized show experience if needed especially in cases of funerals, weddings, birthday parties, etc. where a more specific decade or style of music is needed. Original songs fall in the Americana category of pop, blues, rock and country and are often included as well. The other aspect of Suzanne’s Band is the production of original material. A selection of studio musicians are used for recording sessions. Songs tend to be non-genre specific and focused more on the importance of self-worth and introspective ideals–songs with heart! I want my lyrics to be understandable and easily heard so that the listener takes them to heart and is encouraged. One of the comments I received from the latest Grammy considered release Ice and Fire, the album, was that the listener wanted to hear more. They wanted the story to continue!

Does your business have multiple or supplementary revenue streams (like a ATM machine at a barbershop, etc)?

I’m the type of person that definitely believes in the “having more than one egg in your basket” philosophy. As a musician and business owner, I knew that there would be down times and some ebb and flow with finances and I needed to look at multiple income streams. As a musician, gigs are the number one way you receive straight income. Unfortunately, there are some months where the weather is not conducive to outdoor gigs especially or venues are struggling like in January right after Christmas when there’s always a down time event. By creating and distributing original music, it creates a situation where regular royalties can be a great source of added income. Having a You Tube channel and getting revenue off ads which appear during music videos is another source. Having merchandise available to sell during shows or online through the website such as t-shirts, mugs, CD’s, etc. is also helpful. When original music is distributed through all the streaming platforms and sites, it provides an opportunity for income through downloads and streams.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Trying to book gigs has been the hardest thing about being a musician. Phone calls result in requests to just email someone. Emails turn into “no response”. Physically cold calling on venues seems to be the best way but can be draining on time, energy, gas budget, etc. More often than not, it is still difficult for women to get gigs over men. 90% of what is booked goes to male fronted bands or male solo acoustic artists. These incidences can be daunting. I keep chipping away at this iceberg though focusing on the light at the end of the tunnel of that one vendor that just might say yes.

Contact Info:

Original article: https://canvasrebel.com/meet-mia-suzanne-walker/

Top40-Charts.com: Texas Americana Artist Mia Suzanne Walker

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Houston Texas is the home of Mia Suzanne Walker who approaches fan growth one fan at a time. One comes to learn that it is the intimacy of bringing original songs to individuals and couples that lights up Suzanne’s stage presence. Suzanne shares, “Who doesn’t like the thrill of performing in a major arena or music festival but it’s tough to beat the one on one performances that listening rooms and coffee shops provide.” Mia should know as her week in and week out schedule is made up of notable coffee shops and listening rooms in Texas.

Many times Mia has invited other well known singer/songwriters to join her on stage for a song or two. Interested? Just call her, who knows? Mia’s music is available on all of today’s popular sites such as Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Amazon and can be heard on terrestrial radio stations around the world. However, it’s the personalized autographed CDs that are handed out at her performances that make Suzanne’s day. “I write my music to share and when someone takes the time out of their day to be with me I am more than a little humbled. On my breaks I am able to talk to many of them and when they ask for a CD I am able to write something between us, something a bit more personal on the cover.”

It is this one on one personal connection that comes naturally to Mia and over time has developed quite the following. Most recently the Americana songwriter released her new “Ice & Fire” album and it has been accepted internationally by radio show hosts worldwide. Mia’s audience now stretches internationally, she just wishes she was sharing her music with them one on one. “Ice and Fire” was recorded in the famed Lucky Run Studio with President Michael Mikulka handling the engineering with Mia producing. Grammy award winner James Hoover was chosen for the mixing and Nick Landis for mastering as the icing on the cake.

The result is one fantastic nine track release. “Ice & Fire” exemplifies roots music at its best as it captures the spirit and tone of Americana, Country, and Blues all within one collection of nine originals. When asked about the future Mia responded with a smile and said that she hopes to be on bigger stages in the near future but she also hopes to always be performing in the smaller more intimate coffee shops and listening rooms too.

You can learn more about Suzanne at: Suzanne’s Band (suzannesband.com)

SHOUTOUT HTX: Meet Mia Suzanne Walker | Suzanne’s Band

We had the good fortune of connecting with Mia Suzanne Walker and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Mia Suzanne, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I initially was just a songwriter looking at selling my songs. When I looked into the process and ownership modules of what that entailed, it was a better idea to make it a business especially since I wanted to play/sing them myself and not just hand them off to someone else to interpret.

Alright, so let’s move on to what keeps you busy professionally?
My music genre is Americana/Country/Blues. The non-genre approach to my song-writing is what sets me apart from others as well as the over 50+ aspects to the lyrics. Professionally there were two areas of strength that gave me the experiences I needed to be where I’m at today. From a business sense, I had over 20 years of Office Management experience and also managed an HOA for a subdivision. Musically, I’ve performed in various choirs, ensembles, etc. in all aspects. I was a worship pastor for awhile and also taught children’s music classes. In 2016 I was encouraged by a friend to start learning to play an instrument and in just one short year, had learned to play guitar, relearned piano and started songwriting leading to the development of the business. Age is definitely a challenge, along with being a female in a male dominated field. Trying to release my first full album right when the Pandemic hit was a huge challenge. I’ve learned to be resilient and keep going no matter now many negative vibes are thrown my way. My brand picture has a lightning bolt in it for two reasons. First, being from Texas we have a lot of storms which bring lots of lightning. Second, my mind tends to work like lightning: one brilliant flash then it’s gone. I’ve learned to write down my songs when I think about them before they are gone forever. The colors purple and green represent a story. When I was in high school my best friend Sue wrote me letters in purple ink and I wrote her back in green….. our favorite colors. I wanted to always remember that youthful energy of a life still ahead to live.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Hah! I love mini golf so wherever we can find an open course is always a must see. I love ice cream! Baskin Robbins, Marble Slab would be givens. Live music and hopefully a gig I was performing at would be on the list. Being in Texas, BBQ, steaks and Tex-Mex are some great restaurant spots. We would probably look at old pics and do some reminiscing.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutouts to Danny Jones, producer of first 3 projects, that introduced me to the joy of the recording process. John In Houston, my “wind in my sails” promoter, for encouraging and motivating me and my business. All my friends and the gang at School of Rock-Cinco for helping in any way they could with promoting, purchasing products and participating in the performance and/or recording process. My friends and family who have supported me and the band in every way possible. Many thanks to all my business associates from merch production, website support, distribution, photography, videography and so much more that make this music machine roll along smoothly. Thanks to recording engineer Michael Mikulka, mixing engineer James Hoover and mastering engineer who made our latest production Ice and Fire a resounding success. Warm squishy hugs and thanks to Hanh Nguyen at The Perfect Latte for giving our band a platform to play off of every month along with small business support throughout each year.

Website: https://www.suzannesband.com

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

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/suzannesband

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

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2h8WyLZ_6rNfnrzm4d7FKg


Original article: https://shoutouthtx.com/meet-mia-suzanne-walker-suzannes-band/


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.

__________

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.

__________

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

__________

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

PRESS: Roswell Daily Record

Music: ‘One More Night of Christmas’

By Christina Stock

The lead singer behind the name Suzanne’s Band is Texas-native Mia Suzanne Walker, an artist who considers herself an indie folk-rock singer. The band — an Americana underground favorite — has released a charming and warm-hearted Christmas single that is promising and may just be the one to head out of the underground and into the light finding more fans. “One More Night of Christmas,” has the right balance between Walker’s bluesy mezzo-soprano voice range and the accompanying pop music background that flows smoothly.

Walker’s voice carries the emotions perfectly, sharing with the listener the longing of having another chance with a loved one at Christmas Eve, the idea and dream of a past not long ago, that will reflect in many who are listening and are facing a quieter, socially distanced holiday this year.

The melody is comfortable, the instruments following known pathways that feel familiar, yet new, including the airy jingling of bells. This is something that every potentially great Christmas song has in common. It makes one long for more, a short single is just not enough.

“One More Night of Christmas,” is my choice for 2020: Bittersweet and endearingly melancholic.

According to Walker’s biography, one of her recent highlights is her acceptance into the Recording Academy (Grammy’s), and she is rapidly becoming a popular YouTube artist, with her videos being seen by more than 30,000 people at press time.

Additionally, Suzanne’s Band’s video release of “Don’t Give Up Yet,” in October is a humorous uplifting answer to what can and did go wrong that makes one sing along.

I can imagine her band making a great impact in live concerts. Hopefully that will be soon possible again. Meanwhile, we have her YouTube channel and social media pages.

For more information, visit suzannesband.com.

 

Original article posted here:  https://www.rdrnews.com/2020/12/14/music-one-more-night-of-christmas/?fbclid=IwAR2-lMYxrfwpaTL13gxx-TKoGUE2QuLrAK1DW6TjzIl9clckBuvyS_ByqA4&cli_action=1608068390.13

PRESS: Mia Suzanne Walker is contributing a color to indie folk music via new LP

Original article: https://www.imaai.org/mia-suzanne-walker-is-contributing-a-color-to-indie-folk-music/

“Singin’ a song / Cardinal on the fence / Time on my hands / Since I, I don’t know when” croons Mia Suzanne Walker in the opening lines of her song “Passing Me By,” one of the ten comprising Suzanne’s Band’s new album Back to You, her every word echoing the emotion in the melodies behind her. For Walker, every verse is an opportunity to connect with the audience on a musical and spiritual level, and in her latest release Back to You, she rejects the very notion of adhering to one specified set of rules when it comes to making an evocative harmony all the more rousing. She’s following the beat of her own drum here, and exceeding the expectations surrounding the creation of a follow-up to her debut, Breathe.

Vocal harmonies are the undebatable centerpiece for every song on Back to You, but I wouldn’t say that they overshadow the instrumental bedrock of tracks like “Look Up,” “Don’t Give Up Yet” and “Fault in My Stars” at all; actually, the exact opposite. Walker wants us to understand the depth of the narrative in all of these songs, and by investing so much in the relationship between her voice and the backing band, she makes it impossible for us to experience a lyric without feeling the emotion integrated with the music as well. She’s as multidimensional a songwriter as they come, but she isn’t getting overambitious in Back to You – instead, she’s recording the kind of material that best suites her skillset.

There’s more instrumental contrast in “On a Good Day,” “Don’t Give Up Yet,” “I Almost Said I Do” and “Gonna Rise Up” than there was in the whole of the first extended play we heard from Suzanne’s Band, Breathe (released in 2018), and it would surprise me a great deal if I were the only critic to notice as much. If Walker was trying to redefine her identity with a multifaceted attack in Back to You, she essentially hit this one out of the park and then some, because from every angle that I’ve analyzed it, she seems to be going out of her way to make each element within her style of play stand out and affect the mood of any given composition as much as producers would her cornerstone attributes.

If you’re looking for the perfect mix of homespun, old fashioned country crooning and contemporary folk/pop aesthetics in a single cocktail, you’re going to want to add Suzanne’s Band’s Back to You to your record collection a lot sooner than later. With the assistance of her ably-chosen cast of supporting players, Mia Suzanne Walker is contributing a color to indie folk music that had been mostly absent from the genre in the early and mid-2010’s, and now that the 2020’s are finally upon us, I think we’re going to see her come into her own in ways that had only been teased in her early efforts. I’ll be keeping an eye on her growth, and I’d recommend music fans everywhere think about doing the same.

Clay Burton

PRESS: Back to You LP by Suzanne’s Band

Original article: https://mobyorkcity.com/back-to-you-lp-by-suzannes-band/

In the shadow of a ghostly wind, an acoustic guitar begins to play, the voice of one Mia Suzanne Walker not too far behind from its opening salvo of string melodies. This is “Write a Book,” an excerpt from the album Back to You by Suzanne’s Band, and it’s one of the better examples I can point to when talking about the experimentation its lead singer is toying with in her latest release. In her debut EP Breathe, Walker proved she could do some amazing things with the mic in her hand, but here, she takes her craftsmanship to a whole new level of accessibility.

There’s a lot of emphasis on the strings in the songs “Fault in My Stars,” “Passing Me By,” the percussion-powered “Don’t Give Up Yet” and “Wonder When,” and rightly so. There’s really no better compliment to the vocal that Walker is dispensing with ease from the middle of the mix in all four of these tracks, and though she arguably can make just as much magic with a piano melody (check out the harmonies in “Look Up”), she’s smart enough to know exactly which elements to pair with the particular singing styles she’s utilizing in Back to You.

The energy that I get from “Wonder When,” “I Almost Said I Do” and the title track is steeped in an unapologetically live format, leading me to think that these songs were probably created with Suzanne’s Band’s stage show in mind. I haven’t seen her sing in-person for myself yet, but based on the reception she’s got from her performances in the past, I can imagine that these new compositions will do very well with the current setlist she’s been working with on the road. She’s got a great presence, and in this kind of music, that’s as important as having lyrical substance – if not a bit more so, on occasion.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2xiCZHJIevKXif9mZo7TWR

Lyrically speaking, I think that Walker sounds a lot more vulnerable in songs like “Look Up,” “On a Good Day,” “Don’t Give Up Yet” and “I Almost Said I Do” than she ever has in previous recordings. It would be nice to hear her exploit the depth of her songwriting abilities more as the 2020’s press on, because at the end of the day, she has a grasp of melodic composing that is appealing to pop, country and folk listeners alike, which isn’t an easy combination of audiences to win over these days.

Fans new and old alike won’t want to miss out on this latest release from Suzanne’s Band this January, and with any luck, this won’t be the only set of songs that she issues before the year is done. Mia Suzanne Walker is following her heart with her music, and even if she isn’t using the commercial template that so many artists would in a bid to get fame and fortune, my gut tells me that the mainstream spotlight isn’t going to ignore her output for very long. She’s got the chops to do great things in this business, and she’s off to an excellent start in Back to You.

Nicole Killian

PRESS: Suzanne’s Band’s Back to You in

Original article: http://thehollywooddigest.com/suzannes-bands-back-to-you-in/

Bluesy swing and exotic melodicism of the richest variety come together to make one heck of a strong introduction to Suzanne’s Band’s Back to You in the opening bars of its first track, “Fault in My Stars,” and as the confident serenade of Ms. Mia Suzanne Walker begins to fill our speakers with unbreakably smooth tonality, it becomes clear that this full-length album is going to be quite the harmonious journey for anyone within earshot of its rhythmic melodies. More swaggering beats await us just around the corner in “On a Good Day” and the country flashfire “Passing Me By,” and with Suzanne herself leading the way, we’re soon lost in a misty sea of rhythm and rhyme definitely worth writing home about this January.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/suzannesbandmusic/?tn-str=k*F

“Passing Me By” essentially marks the end of the big blues grooves in Back to You, as its neighbor “Write a Book” departs towards a folkier sound more akin to what we heard from Suzanne’s band in their Breathe EP. “Don’t Give Up Yet” is a traditional country song with a flamboyant rough edge, and considering its placement in the tracklist, I think that it’s the perfect segue into the second half of the album, and more specifically, the experimental folk/rock that Walker’s group will lay down over the next five tracks. There’s a great flow to all of the music here, and to be frank, Back to You is usually a pretty tough record to put down once you’ve pressed play on any of its ten inspired compositions.

The title track here is the most elaborate song on the album, but its arrangement doesn’t sound exaggerated next to the other material here. “I Almost Said I Do” is equally layered and difficult to pin down aesthetically, mostly because of its bluegrass-style beats and galloping acoustic guitars, but next to “Wonder When,” it doesn’t really demand a lot from Suzanne as a singer. “Wonder When” has a complicated lyrical structure that must have taken more than a couple of takes to perfect, but I think this vocalist was more than ready for the challenge. She might not have been ready for the complexities of a track like this one, nor those in “Look Up,” back in 2018, but she’s developed her singing style so much since then that recording more streamlined material would now sound rather underwhelming.

CD BABY: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/suzannesband1

Back to You’s last song, “Gonna Rise Up,” gave me chills the first time I listened to it, and in every time since, I feel like another piece of its artistic persona is revealed to me. This is a record that takes a couple of dedicated listens to really appreciate and fully understand, but if there’s any LP that I would tell indie enthusiasts to get their hands on before the month of January is over, this would probably be the first one I’d mention. Mia Suzanne Walker leads an elite group of musicians into battle and emerges with a victorious sound rooted less in boastful virtuosity and more in organic creativity, and while I’ve said so before, I’m even more excited to hear what she does next after hearing this latest album from her camp.

Garth Thomas

Sign up for
our mailing list

Enter your email address here always to be updated. We promise not to spam!

Get the latest news from
Suzanne's Band
Get the most recent show updates/changes, announcements for new music & videos, and other news.