Suzanne and the Blues Church: The Cost of Love Review

The Cost of Love, the latest album from Suzanne and the Blues Church, is an eerie album that combines gospel, jazz, blues, rock and a little bit of trippy magic reminiscent of Dr. John, the Night Tripper. Complete with gutsy guitar, swirling B3, smoky vocals, classic blues harp and solid bass and drums, this album comes close to pure black magic.

The album is, as a whole, quite good, but there is too much post-processing for a group that seeks to emulate an older style of playing. “Musta Been Gone 2 Long” is processed to sound like an old phonograph playing over the radio. While the idea is interesting, unless you enjoy listening to old records over the telephone, it really distracts from the beauty of the song. Additionally, the B3 gets buried in the mix at times (particularly on “Set Me Free”), which is a crying shame because the B3 parts are downright funky and soulful. At times the listener also wants to hear more out of the bass and drums – both in terms of volume and their role in the ensemble.

While there are a few issues with the record, as a whole it is genius. This is truly a great band, and, with the exception of superfluous post-processing, they sound like a band should. They are authentic, tasteful and imaginative, but most importantly, they play well together as a group. The album is full of twists and turns, such as the narrative used on “Dusty 6 String Box” and a beautiful, unexpected ballad in “Set Me Free.” This is an album that should not escape the collection of any true blues lover.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– Cheatin on Me
– The Cost of Love
– Dusty 6 String Box
– Set Me Free

The Big Hit

– All of Your Love (I Miss Lovin)

Review by Nik Rodewald