Tuesday, 15 August 2017

Suzanne Santo - Ruby Red


Rating: 4/5

Review:
A very good album



I am very impressed by this album.  I tried it because I like HoneyHoney but wasn't sure what to expect from Suzanne Santo on her own; what I got was a very good album with some fantastic highlights.

The first thing to say is that this woman can really sing.  I don't mean that she belts it out all the time (although she has real power when it's needed), but she has a great, slightly husky voice, excellent control and an ability to really put the meaning of a song across.  There are places here (notably in Best Out Of Me) where her tone, phrasing and ornamentation remind me quite strongly of Adele – and I mean that as high praise.  The material is pretty raw stuff, with lots of drink, drugs, unhealthy relationships and obsessions and so on (including some very frank language); Santo sets the tone in the searing opener, Handshake, and although the album is quite varied in style, it's largely pretty dark – which is just fine with me. 

I confess to being surprised by how good this album is.  Not everything is brilliant, but there's nothing poor or weak, and the best tracks are really excellent.  Ruby Red deserves plenty of attention, and personally I'll be looking out for more of Suzanne Santo's solo work.  Warmly recommended.

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