Suzanne Jarvie

Two weeks ago I hadn’t heard of this singer-songwriter from Toronto. Now, she is on repeat play constantly having audibly devoured this album, and tracking down its inspiring predecessor, ‘Spiral Road’.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve been so taken by a “new” voice, but Suzanne Jarvie possesses an instrument of rare beauty. Hints of Emmylou, Joni, and Lucinda, certainly, but there is a clarity and intent all her own. The vocal conviction is helped by the quality of material she has given herself. At times deeply personal, at others, encrypted in strange allegorical tales that defy simple explanation but contain such beautiful poetic imagery, that the listener is brought along by the pictures it paints

Two faced coin spinning in the sky. Heads you win, tails, you gonna die. Still as the wings on a dead butterfly curled in the palm of a sun coloured lie.

Suzanne Jarvie’s first album was a deeply personal account of her coming to terms with a near fatal accident her son experienced which left him with wild and unpredictable mood swings. The traumatic event and on-going care required as a result produced a cathartic album of great depth and beauty. This album expands on some of those themes, as Suzanne mediates on acceptance, survival and moving on.

Coming out of the increasingly prolific Wolfe Island records (David Corley, Hadley McCall Thackston, Stephen Stanley) and produced by the ever reliable Hugh Christopher Brown, positive indicators were all over this album’s cover, but the proof comes with listening.

Starting with the sprightly country-tinged fable of love over fear, ‘The Headless Rider’, the standard is set high, and rarely dips. The lovely ‘Carpenter Bay’, a duet with Suzanne’s daughter is a highlight and augurs well for the younger Jarvie. Title track ‘In the Clear’ is another high point, with its optimistic message of leaving the past behind, and making a new start.

Little signs are everywhere, at the cherry blossom fair pale pink petals are raining down, on apple carts and plastic crowns. Somewhere far away from here, long before the sun appears, you will feel every single fear, you will feel it, feel it ’til you’re back in, back in the clear.

But always there is her voice, crystal clear with a human flawed edge that transforms and displays a beautiful reach and tone. Hugh Christopher Brown is too good a producer not to let the clarity of the vocals remain central at all times, whether in the strident guitar-driven ‘Point Blank‘, or the gorgeous ‘One It Finds’. The meaning of ‘Trilogy’ may be somewhat inscrutable at times, but the musical journey’s fun, and the final message is clear. No matter how circumspect the passage, and how hard the climb, life is worth the living.

Flecked with a country tinge, and littered with engrossing short sci-fi, and gothic tales, interspersing Suzanne Jarvie’s own personal story of survival, this is an album I will return to over the years. I can’t wait to hear the next chapter of the journey.

‘In The Clear’ is available now on Wolfe Island Records. - Folk and Tumble

Spiral Road, the impressive debut album from Canadian Suzanne Jarvie has been universally lauded since its release in April. Compared by many to Emmylou Harris Jarvie delivers sweet country rock, lilting ballads and lowering country funk over the course of the disc’s 10 songs. The heady mix of Hammond organ, pedal steel and crunchy guitars on Never Gonna Stop is just short of monumental while Tears Of Love with its keening melancholy buoyed up by a joyful country arrangement would be right at home on Emmylou’s Pieces Of The Sky album, indeed it sounds as if it were written by a metaphysical Dolly Parton.
Jarvie, whose day job is as a criminal defence attorney, began to write these songs in the aftermath of a family tragedy, her son in a coma after a head injury. His road to recovery unlocked a creativity in Jarvie. While she had always dabbled in music she found herself “in a feverish fit of writing” until her songs were heard by producer Hugh Christopher Brown who eventually helmed the album setting Jarvie’s songs in crystalline and sparkling arrangements. The result is a triumph, a testament to the human spirit, uplifting, sad yet joyous with lyrics that recall the cosmic mysticism of Mike Nesmith and Gene Clark. - Paul Kerr

It may have taken adversity to unlock the musical talents of Suzanne Jarvie but a certified blessing lies in a therapeutic debut album equipped to create more than a stir in the world of folk, Americana and real country music. From start to finish, SPIRAL ROAD aches in epic portions to paint a literary outpouring of what country music writing was born to capture. Not only has Suzanne told her story with heart rendering emotion, she has surrounded herself with a stellar team of players running rich in a stream of sensual soul and tantalising twang. This is a record for any age but an important 2015 ally in the defence of protecting great genre music from the ravages of those seeking universal change.

The adversity was a combination of family ailments culminating in a near death experience of a son, and an inspirational seam of Suzanne’s writing deals with the anguish and subsequent recovery process. Whether recalling the father serenading a coma-stricken son with Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ in the marvellous masterpiece ‘Never Gonna Stop’ or the cryptic undertone to the rocking lullaby ‘2458’, Suzanne heads in the direction of utopian song writing and doesn’t fall far short. The latter of this pair of outstanding tracks explicitly wallows in the glory of the Hammond organ with the other showing that a touch of subtle rock can go a long way in forging a sound drenched in pure Americana. However these two songs just get eclipsed in the race for standout track by the classic country tones of ‘Tears of Love’, where every sinew of emotion races from Suzanne’s pen and vocals pulling the listener in to share a blanket of comfort.
As if to use the power of song to close this chapter of her life, Suzanne positions the Freudian track ‘Before and After’ in both opening and closing spots, the latter classed as redux or reprise. Maybe this new phase of her life will see a fruitful second career develop after spending years in the legal profession. Further numbers such as the moving title track ‘Spiral Road’ and the full on Americana sounding ‘Enola Gay’ enhance the case of this being a record to set the standard for a contemporary take on the immaculate fusing of folk, country and rock music.

Toronto based Suzanne was unearthed as a potential recording talent by producer Hugh Christopher Brown and Gregor Beresford who plays percussion on the record with among the invitees to perform on the album being fellow Canadian roots impresarios The Abrams Brothers. They play their part alongside the other musicians to deliver a swathe of mandolin, banjo, piano, violin, pedal steel and organ across this 52 minute deluge of blissful production. As implied already, Suzanne is the poetic architect of all ten tracks as well as using Charlie Chaplin’s ‘Smile’ as an integrated part of ‘Shrieking Shack’. This writing is no more optimistic than in ‘Angel of Light’ as Suzanne seeks the courage to pull through.

True to its core and inspirational in its impact, SPIRAL ROAD will meet with approval in welcoming hip markets across North America and Europe. The pain and hope leaping from each track act as guide to delve into a substantial record which unveils Suzanne Jarvie as a person with a story to tell and the skill to deliver it in iconic style. This album acts as an exemplar of how real country music should be written, played and lived. -

Toronto-based singer, songwriter and guitarist Suzanne Jarvie is this year’s recipient of the Ontario Arts Council (OAC)’s Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award for her song All In Place. The award will be presented on Sunday, September 29, 2019, at Folk Music Ontario (FMO)’s annual conference. - Ontario Arts Council