Susan Werner, a classically trained and jazz influenced Iowan who now lives in Philadelphia, has been described by the Boston Globe as “a talent with unlimited potential.” For example, a year ago last summer Susan just happened to attend the Chicago Gospel Music Festival in her adopted hometown for the first time. The overwhelming, ecstatic energy that she witnessed at this event prompted her to do some research on and go off and record a groundbreaking independent collection that may just be the world’s first agnostic gospel recording.

Susan Werner

The songs on “The Gospel Truth” are both heartfelt and incisive, biting yet optimistic, drawing from Werner’s own personal spiritual questions. Fresh off the success of “I Can’t Be New,” her critically acclaimed collection of all-original compositions done in the Great American Songbook style, fans might have been caught a bit off guard by her foray into gospel-tinged music. But, then again, Werner fans should be used to her eclectic mix of music. Her live shows are just that — lively! Werner’s road to truth is paved by both witty observations of Christian culture and, musically, an ongoing love for classic gospel, country and bluegrass traditions. Just as she immersed herself in the songs of Gershwin, Cole Porter, et al and the classic interpretations by Julie London as part of her creative process on "I Can’t Be New,” Werner this time was tireless in mining inspiration from legendary and contemporary country, gospel and bluegrass artists, from familiar names like the Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers, to the lesser known Claire Lynch and Fern Jones (the co-called Patsy Cline of gospel). “Her songs,” said the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “are finely detailed compositions that recall the writing of Leonard Cohen or Tom Waits for their attention to detail while dealing with subjects such as emotional discomfort, embarrassment, and a love’s inadequacy.”

Susan Werner, the Midwestern girl with the urbane sensibility and sophistication, has hit a chord with Boston-area fans of acoustic music. Susan is her own woman. She is pursuing her own musical path across genres and market-driven categories. If you like folk music, you’ll like Susan. If you like jazz, you’ll like Susan. If you like gospel, you’ll like Susan. Her own unique musical and lyrical colors will delight folks who appreciate eclectic musical meanderings.

Meg Hutchinson

The me&thee is delighted to have Meg Hutchinson open the show. Meg has been actively touring the acoustic music circuit for the past seven years. After quitting her job at an organic lettuce farm in western Massachusetts, she has recorded several critically acclaimed albums, including “The Crossing.” The Boston Globe writes, “Meg Hutchinson’s songs have a way of making us believe she’s telling the truth, at least as she sees it. In a brooding sea of inscrutable urban songwriters, her whispery, knowable voice feels like it’s sharing her secrets with us. Set to elegant, free floating melodies that feel both modern and rooted, her lyrics are always seeking, if not actually finding, hope at the end of life’s dark tunnels.”

 

 

Susan Werner, a clever songwriter and an engaging performer, brings literacy and wit back to popular song.
The New Yorker

[Susan Werner is] a triply blessed artist who sings adroitly, plays the piano smartly and, best of all, writes songs of genuine distinction and high craft. . . Chicago Tribune

[Meg Hutchinson] . . . A master of introspective ballads filled with understated yearning and an exquisite sense of metaphor.” The twenty-six year old describes her style as “lyric-based, folk-pop, with a whole lot of small town idealism and one devastating break up thrown in for good measure.” . . . Her songs are characterized by a weathered but unselfconscious optimism, a love of language and of the natural world. Having grown up in a town of 5,000 people, “just outside the National Historic District,” her songs possess all the charm of Lake Wobegon, tempered by a sweet and timeless voice. Performing Songwriter