Susan Justice - Eat Dirt Review

Susan Justice’s debut album Eat Dirt gets to you on the first listen but more importantly gets under your skin on repeated listens.What you hear is what you get. With Justice it’s vulnerabilty, honesty and the abilty to make you feel what she is singing.

That may sound easy but many producers don’t understand this and surround vocalists with too much technology and what I like to call “extra shite”.
Justice does not need it. And in the hands of super star producer Toby Gad she gets real close and personal.

There is a joy of discovery to this recording that gets to the listener. Maybe it comes from Justice performing in subways or getting inspired by artists like Tracy Chapman. Either way you feel it.The real trick for Justice will be the ability to pull off gorgeous songs such as Company, the title track, I Wonder, and Paper Planes in a live situation.

That always seems the spoiler, when you see a young performer you want to hear them them with a cool little band. Some acoustic guitars, a piano etc.What you sometimes get, is a ton of backing tracks and auto-tune.Elsewhere, on songs like the uptempo Alive, and the killer pop of You Were Meant to Sing Justice gets reflective with integrity.

What more do you want from a pop debut?
Justice comes off as the real thing. And her debut is a can’t miss pop gem....full text Susan Justice has a backstory worthy of a rags-to-riches film noir. Raised in a strict religious cult with her ten brothers and sisters, she traveled the world busking with her family band — even though they were not allowed to listen to any music while they were growing up. One day, as the family passed through New York, Justice jumped ship.

The title track is the darkest tune, but it’s sprinkled with light. “What doesn’t kill you, makes you sick,” she sings, twisting an old cliché into a startling new image. The arrangement features quiet piano and a vocal from Justice that builds in volume and power as it plays with familiar images of forbidden fruit and family dysfunction to come to a powerful conclusion, marked by a dramatic use of percussion and soaring, gospel-heavy backing vocals. Justice expresses an impressive range of romantic experience here, with many clever turns of phrase that show off her songwriting abilities. She occasionally indulges in overused images that show off her youth, but the strong melodies, simmering vocals, and her deep faith in the possibilities of salvation allow her to transcend her limitations....full text