There's this thing called due diligence in the business world and it is basically the process of checking that everything is actually as they say it is. So after seeing - or should that be experiencing - a live performance by Susanna Macdonald, her current release was duly acquired to verify our opinions.
In the recorded environment, the intensity of the live performance should, of course, be lost. Maybe a little is lost this time but what remains, however, is worthy of note. You get to appreciate the lyrics that twist and turn like some gothic fairy tale unwillingly transported into the urban environment. Try "Insomniatic" for an example of this. Then Ms Macdonald goes all theatrical and simultaneously scary in "About Being a Bitch". Much like Noel Coward, she reflects on the mannered structure of society and turns her thoughts into words about fear and desperation. The highlight of this set was "Succubus". This is a torch song of the future in the making. Precisely assembled and intense in emotion, this song spins round like a ballerina dancing the dance of death. Entrancing.
Probably too ornate and perhaps too deep for most people, Susanna Macdonald is nonetheless a talent to take notice of. There, you've been told.
Available from CD Baby.