SUSAN ENAN - PLAINSONG

Worth the wait! It is ten years since Susan Enan approached me at someone else’s gig in Belfast and asked if I’d listen to her tape and see if I’d like to book her for  the Greenbelt Festival. I went home as nervous as I always am about tapes that 99% of the time were awful and was pleasantly surprised. I was even more surprised, but concluded she might be the real deal, when she turned down my offer to play the Greenbelt that was coming up; she had the next year in mind when she’d got it just right. That strategy, patience and precision has come to beautiful fruition on this debut album after the work-in-progress eps down through the decade. For those who have followed her career, all the crafted songs are here, but more fully formed which does not mean more produced or arranged. Enan uses spaces between chords like Denison Witmer and has the same literary spirituality as Over the Rhine. Arrangements are careful and the understated strings here, piano there brings the sonic punch. Some might be aware of Beyond The Wonder from it featuring on the TV show Bones and subsequent album but here it shimmers beyond the wonder! Moonlight is classically romantic and Skin, Bone and Silicone sad and deeply tender. When it comes to overall impact you are back to the word understated again. With songs like Don’t Worry, On Your Side and If You’re Feeling Low, there is a vast amount of hope, love, forgiveness along with help, recovery and redemption; like she left the spaces for God to fill. Run the bath, light the candles and allow it these songs to gently sweep over you to soothe body, mind, heart and soul.

Comments

[Gary Bradley]

Hey Steve,

Just found this article about Susan Enan. Listened to some demos...wow, really lovely. Thanks.

Gary