SUSAN SANTOS is a celebrated singer / songwriter / guitarist from Spain who is self-taught and a lefty into the bargain. Susan has a list of accolades to her name such as Best Female Album @ LA Critics Awards 2019 and has recorded five albums.
‘Hot Rod Lady’, the first single from her upcoming new album, pretty sums up what the music of Susan is all about: sizzling blues-infused classic rock with hot guitar licks, groove and melody. She’s shared a stage with Billy Gibbons and the right Reverend would be thrilled at this one, fo’ sho’.
“Sonora“, the album title, encapsulates the overall vibe that permeates throughout the songs. Although each of the album tracks vary in style, they all share a common thread – a classic rock ‘sonic’ nature.
“Hot Rod Lady” revs its engines with a groove and a swing, while the Latin tinges that you want from a Spanish artist are right there on “Snakebite” – and you can’t help notice the lust it drips with. There’ a thigh-slapping rock n roll arrangement as we get lost in the smooth melodic vocals that flow effortlessly through this fantastic track, the tempo changes pace as Susan unleashes a slick guitar salvo that lets us get lost in the musicality.
There’s a timelessness to “Have Mercy”, and the flip side of that is the energetic and anthemic “What I Want”. On the former, Susan’s vocals make it feel like you have just walked into a blues club and witnessed the house band deliver a real killer track that stops you in your tracks and grabs a hold of you.
The latter starts with a real gritty guitar lick that has punchy drums for company as this groove-laden rocker track erupts into life. The killer slide tones are just incredible as we witness cool riffs with real depth as this exciting musician drops foot-stomping killer licks that are complimented perfectly with a mellow bassline that is handing out the big grooves that lets this track express itself as we feel the energy oozing from this talented lady as she certainly comes with bags of talent.
As a kid I was enthralled by the early rock n’ roll stars – a love I retain to this day – and “Voodoo Wheels” is cut from that cloth and if I haven’t mentioned the skill and class to her playing yet, then “Call Me Tonight” seems like the ideal place to do that as it almost sneaks into your consciousness. “I’ll make it worth your while” she sings. I am not sure the guitar is the only thing on her mind here, at a guess.
”Let It Ride” is a funky heavy number with some Hendrix to it that gives us sweet clean guitar crunches. The rhythm section is handing us punchy beats that have bass kicks that give us a sludgy funk feel as Susan drops the hammer and pushes through with cool licks that are just taking this track to another place with its intense feel and swagger.
Ever since the idea that cowboys could ride steel horses first entered my head as a boy, there has something about the widescreen barren wastes that has inspired me. It evidently does on “Dirty Money” here too, given the raw nature that a trio always seems to have.
The guitar work of Santos is superb too. The way she effortlessly switches to something darker, as “Somebody To Love” lurks in the shadows. It does, if I may say, seem that lust and not love drives this.
“Fever” swings with some trademark funky bass, and there is an urgency in its grooves together with something just a little primal too. “Wait” is yet another masterclass in what modern blues-rock can do. It beats to a rock pulse, but the guitar work is pure. “The Devil take me tonight,” Susan sings, and you do wonder if Satan knows what he’s up against here.
Warm, breezy and pleasant sounding, “Sonora” is the sort of record that initially seems like it washes over you, before you realise it’s gone in by a kind of osmosis.
Sit up and take notice of this celebrated musician as she marks a welcome return with this really good slab of blues soaked rock n’ roll that ticks all the boxes and then some.
Highly Recommended
1. Hot Rod Lady (3:59)
2. Snakebite (4:57)
3. So Long (4:26)
4. Have Mercy (4:31)
5. What I Want (4:58)
6. Voodoo Wheels (3:23)
7. Call Me Tonight (3:32)
8. Let It Ride (5:50)
Susan Santos: Vocals, electric, baritone and acoustic guitars, banjo, theremin
David Salvador: Bass guitar
Julie El Lento: Drums
Susan Santos – Sonora 2024
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