Canadian Americana singer-songwriter SUZANNE JARVIE Releases Debut Album ‘Spiral Road’
Popmatters exclusively premieres Jarvie’s first official “mystical..evocative” video,”Spiral Road”!
SPIRAL ROAD hit the EuroAmericana December, January and February charts!
Read an in-depth interview on NO DEPRESSION!
“Jarvie’s voice is seraphim-pure, reaching out and lifting your spirit often without permission.” Luke C. Bowden, No Depression
“a personal and lovely, complicated slice of Americana/folk music.” Sam Gadzdiak, Country Music Universe
“spellbinding” Baron Lane, Twang Nation
“Superbe!” Jean-jacques Corrio, Le Cri du Coyote (France)
“a remarkable folk-singer” Guido Michelone, Jazz Convention Magazine (Italy)
“Suzanne Jarvie’s crisp, clean voice, reminiscent of Lucinda Williams’, lends itself nicely to the straight-ahead Americana of her debut album, Spiral Road. Produced by Hugh Christopher Brown, the album is beautifully arranged, with an all-star cast of guest musicians, including the Abrams brothers, the Holmes Brothers on gospel choir-worthy harmony vocals and Burke Carroll’s always-tasteful pedal steel.” Kristin Cavoukian, Exclaim!
Read this excellent feature by Thomas Gerbasi in Examiner.com.
“With the combination of her finely experienced occasionally somewhat Emmy Lou Harris like voice, and the powerful songs which she has written herself, Spiral Road has a lovely lightness which never becomes superficial.” PopHeaven Magazine, The Netherlands
“a sparkling debut disc that mixes down-home Americana and sad country wisdom.” Pete Chianca, Wicked Local
“Jarvie takes her journey and turns it into a beautiful, universal work of art. While her voice might have been brighter or slightly more supple 20 years ago, there’s no way a younger Jarvie could have approached the brilliance of this album. Her voice is reminiscent of Emmylou Harris, though her Canadian accent bleeds through in a most endearing manner. Hugh Christopher Brown produced, and he created a sprawling roots orchestra sound to support Jarvie’s voice.” Jon Worley, Aiding and Abetting
“a fetching combination of Joan Baez by way of Emmylou Harris.” Mark S. Tucker, Acoustic Music and Folk Exchange
“Suzanne Jarvie has a voice that dares to shine, but also dares to be vulnerable, and this is one of the qualities that gives the album an exceptional power…Jarvie tells poignant stories and they all touch you deeply. It makes Spiral Road a very beautiful and exceptional album. ” Erwin Zijleman, De Krenten uit de pop (The Netherlands)
FIVE STARS (out of 5)! ***** “If one doesn’t immediately take in the emotional ordeal Suzanne Jarvie’s lyrics contend with, it may well be that her simple, graceful melodies and immediately memorable choruses stole the show. The Toronto-bred singer/guitarist’s skill with scene setting finishes the job, enticing another listen to deliver the clout of her lyrical content. The instrumentation matches the songs in touch and gracefulness.” Duane Verh, Roots Music Report
“a voice and feel like Carlene Carter and Emmylou Harris…a timeless delivery…” George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
“Jarvie’s voice is a blend of Lucinda Williams and Caroline Herring. Producer Hugh Christopher Brown made the wise decision to put her vocals right up front, like she is sitting right in front of you, surrounded by her band set up in a half circle. She signs about hardship, despair and grief, but in the end optimisms prevails in songs like Love Is Now. She is a tough lady who has been to Hell and back, with a bittersweet voice that gets under your skin.” Hans Werksman, Here Comes The Flood
8 out of 10 stars! “Spiral Road is, simply put, a superior example of singer song writing in the Americana tradition. Listening to it his reviewer was reminded time and again of the early Emmylou Harris on Pieces Of The Sky…wonderfully understated..There are some heart stopping moments…powerful…” Paul Kerr, Americana UK
“In recent years, Canada has been the wellspring of a great deal of quality talent and in Suzanne Jarvie “Canadiana” has acquired a shining pearl. The lustre lies primarily in her voice, which is crystal clear, expressive and has perfect pitch. You can hear this immediately in Before and After, in which Jarvie easily sings with great singers like the Holmes Brothers.” Martin Overheul, Altcountryforum (Netherlands)
” a collection of wondrously beautiful, deeply moving songs…without exception of an all encompassing beauty…Jarvie overwhelms you, as it were, with her out of the ordinary vocal performance, and she bewitches you further with her compelling lyrics..” Benny Metten/Alt Ctrl Country E-Zine, Belgium
“A glorious album…Comparisons with Emmylou Harris and Lucinda Williams are certainly justified for Suzanne Jarvie. Listen to songs like “Love is Now, “Shrieking Shack” and the wondrously beautiful “Wait for Me”. These are only a few of the eleven diamonds in the crown of this surprisingly powerful singer who has emerged from Canada.” Rootstime (Belgium)
“The ominous folk/country sound of Suzanne Jarvie’s “Spiral Road” is worth your time.” Stephen Carradini, Independent Clauses
4-out-of-5-stars “remarkable debut album…a deeply personal collection of Americana tunes that runs the gamut of emotions. From the melancholy of “2458” to the grim realization of “Before and After” to the optimism of “Never Gonna Stop” and “Love Is Now,” Jarvie lays her soul bare on this first-rate song cycle.” Jeffrey Sisk, Pittsburgh In Tune
“The voice of Suzanne occasionally reminiscent of Emmylou Harris, sounds warm and genuine and lets you feel how grateful she is to now be on the road way to recovery.” Marten van der Laan, Country Stew, Radio Compagnie 1 (The Netherlands)
“original … incredible depth …”
Radio Host Lord Litter’s Magic Music Box International
Toronto, Canada –Toronto singer-songwriter Suzanne Jarvie‘s debut album, Spiral Road, produced by multi-instrumentalist Hugh Christopher Brown is a powerful collection of original songs melding Americana, rock, bluegrass, and traditional country. The album speaks to Suzanne’s experiences arising from the near-death and miraculous recovery of her teenage son, after he endured a head injury at the age of fourteen, falling down a spiral staircase.
Please watch EXCLUSIVE VIDEO premiere for “Spiral Road” here: http://www.popmatters.com/post/187200-suzanne-jarvie-spiral-road-video-premiere/. Brice Ezell/popmatters writes, “the video captures the mystical journey detailed in Jarvie’s evocative lyrics: “Spiral road, come for me, ready for, eternity / Cloak of invisibility, equal at last – you and me.””
Baron Lane, Twang Nation repeatedly hailed the “Spiral Road” video on twitter as “spellbinding” and wrote the video “blends the song’s blacktop existence and Native-American mysticism with beautiful shots of Arizona and New Mexico landscape. Director Jason van Bruggen uses imagery that frames song’s theme of connections – of time, cultures and geography that blends into a whole experience. Jarvie’s lonely, lovely yearn backed by driving drum , flecked banjo, front-porch fiddle and Mickey Raphael’s mastery of the mournful harmonica brings this lovely song into familiar territory.”
– See more at: http://www.twangnation.com/2014/11/07/watch-out-suzanne-jarvie-spiral-road-video/#sthash.qCly4xUy.0iRXZTYB.dpuf
Largehearted Boy includes “Before and After” on his list of free and legal daily downloads November 20, 2014: http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2014/11/daily_downloads_3910.html
Suzanne was featured on CBC’s “Big City Small World” on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
Suzanne’s first interview about her Spiral Road journey with CBC radio host Mariel Borelli
Radio airplay and features thus far:
CBC Big City Small World
Ward and Al on Sirius XM Canada
WMBR (MA)
WICN (MA)
KEXP (WA)
KWTF (CA)
WERU (Maine)
KHYI (Texas)
WRKF (Louisiana)
WRDT (Wisconsin)
Lord Litter’s Magic Box (Germany, Spain and CA)
Crossroads (The Netherlands)
Landslide (The Netherlands)
Havenstad FM (The Netherlands)
Radio Parkstad (The Netherlands)
Blast 1386 (UK)
North Highland Radio (Scotland)
BBC Scotland (Iain Anderson Show)
All of the songs on Suzanne’s debut album were written and performed by Suzanne Jarvie (vocals and guitar) and features a stellar cast of musicians: Gregor Beresford, Rob Bertola, Burke Carroll, Tim Bovaconti, Hugh Christopher Brown, Eric Schenkman, Tony Scherr, Jason Mercer, Elijah Abrams, John Abrams, James Abrams, Christian Doscher, Mickey Raphael, and The Holmes Brothers.
Stream/purchase on bandcamp or Itunes, etc.!
https://suzannejarvie.bandcamp.com/releases
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/spiral-road/id941861993
SUZANNE JARVIE BIO
It seems inconceivable that such a powerful singer-songwriter as Suzanne Jarvie has remained unknown in the music world until this moment in time. Born in the 60’s in colonial Hong Kong, and raised in Toronto, Canada, Suzanne’s musical ability was first noticed by her mother when she was singing complete nursery rhymes at 18 months old in perfect pitch.
One possible reason Jarvie kept her musical voice silent for so long was being stricken with terrible stage fright as a young child when she was asked to sing “Silent Night” at a Christmas concert. In high-school, at age 16, she fell hard for a cool boy in her class who idolized Keith Richards. She decided to take guitar lessons as a way to impress him. The love was unrequited, and the plan failed but…Suzanne kept playing and singing, and eventually in her 20’s was exposed to and drew inspiration from the likes of Gram Parsons and Emmy Lou Harris.
Partly because Suzanne craved stability in the wake of her parents’ painful divorce, at age 14, and partly because of her ongoing stage fright and creative reticence, she put music on the back burner, went to university, became a criminal defense attorney, wife and mother of four children. The first real blow of Suzanne’s adult life came when her youngest son was diagnosed with a serious heart condition – he endured two open heart surgeries at age 7 and 11. Then, in 2011, on an ordinary day, her oldest son had a tragic accident at the age of 14, falling down a spiral staircase, and went into a coma. “It blew everything apart, including me,” Suzanne recalls. “Everyone was demented with grief. Despite the doctors saying he wouldn’t survive, the miracle of his slow recovery and healing occurred and changed the course of my life….One afternoon I heard a melody in my head and just started writing. I picked up my guitar and played an opening line, and words just started appearing, through the subconscious, through emotions and through a melodic filter. Over the next few months…all these songs came gushing out.” As Suzanne and her family continue to recover from these health challenges, she found the courage to record her stunning debut album about this raw, deeply personal and painful journey, Spiral Road, produced by the Canadian multi-instrumentalist, Hugh Christopher Brown.
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