Passion, drive, and great writing – these adjectives define the music and life of Susan Cattaneo. Raised in the farm country of New Jersey, Susan found her place in the musical world at an early age, singing six-part harmony with her family around the dinner table. After stints in bands in college, she spent a year in Italy, where she studied Italian and performed a mix of standards and traditional Roman songs in various piano bars in Rome. Upon her return to the States, she began a dual car...
Passion, drive, and great writing – these adjectives define the music and life of Susan Cattaneo. Raised in the farm country of New Jersey, Susan found her place in the musical world at an early age, singing six-part harmony with her family around the dinner table. After stints in bands in college, she spent a year in Italy, where she studied Italian and performed a mix of standards and traditional Roman songs in various piano bars in Rome. Upon her return to the States, she began a dual career in New York City. By day, Susan was a television writer/producer, earning an Emmy nomination and NY State Broadcasters Award. By night, she was the lead singer in the Blackfish Band, a funk-folk outfit that also launched the career of Mike Errico, and that became a regular fixture at clubs like The Bitter End and Kenny’s Castaways. Applying her writing talents to the craft of songwriting was a natural next step, and following her musical dream, Susan headed to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music on a vocal talent scholarship.
Hired by the Berklee songwriting department upon graduation, Susan has spent the past few years splitting her time between teaching, raising two kids, and writing in Nashville, where three of her songs have been signed by producer/A&R man Michael Lloyd (Dirty Dancing, Belinda Carlile, Righteous Brothers, Frank Sinatra) for Curb Publishing.
Brave and Wild, her 2009 release was voted Boston debut of the year and one of the Top 10 records of the year (along with releases by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2 and the Avett Brothers) by Wicked Local.
The record marks Susan’s return to performing. She wrote or co-wrote all 11 tracks on the album, creating a cast of strong female characters who may go through adversity but are taking life head on. Their stories come to life in a dynamic musical landscape. Like the women who inhabit her songs, Susan can be tender but she is not afraid to rock. From the muscular and electric “Wrecking Ball” and “Can't Chase A Train” to the atmospheric “Lay Your Hear On Me” and “Took Away My Sky,” to the upbeat “Love Takes What It Takes,” Brave and Wild is a powerful blend of rock, country and blues with a few sprinkles of folk and soul. This cocktail is a great springboard for Susan to showcase her range as a vocalist and interpreter, opening up her vulnerability one moment only to unleash the strength of her emotions the next.
Produced by Lorne Entress (Ronnie Earl, Lori McKenna, Catie Curtis), who also plays drums on the record, Brave and Wild features an all star cast from the New England music scene: Duke Levine (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dennis Brennan, Peter Wolf, Jonatha Brooke, Graham Parker, Aimee Mann) and Kevin Barry (Paula Cole, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Catie Curtis, Susan Tedeschi, Shawn Colvin) on guitars, Richard Gates (Suzanne Vega, Patty Larkin, Mary Gauthier, Mark Sandman, Richard Thompson) on bass, Dave Limina (Ronnie Earl, B.B. King) on piano and organ and Dave Sholl (Big Mama Thornton, Barrence Whitfield, Dr. John) on tenor and baritone sax. In addition acclaimed folk singer Mark Erelli joins Susan for a duet on “Get Back the Longing” and R&B vocalist Jeff Ramsey (Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Sting, Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau) adds some tasty background vocals to the soulful, “Suddenly.”
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