| Folk | Adult Contemporary |
| Folk/Pop | Adult Alternative |
| Folk/Rock | Adult Album Alternative |
| Contemporary Folk | Americana |
| Traditional Folk | |
| Acoustic |
Information
ABOUT SUE
Sue Merchant lives in the South West of England and inherited her love of music and poetryfrom her father. Describing herself always as 'just a poet with a guitar', Sue has been lead singer
with several popular bands in the South West of England, offering a diverse repertoire and has also appeared as a solo artist, performing her own rich and poetic material at many regional venues on the folk scene. Inspired by real people and actual events and impassioned in her most formative years by such icons as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen; it's perhaps no surprise that remnants of such powerful early influences are still reflected in Sue's song writing today.
ACCOLADES
Awarded to only the elite of songwriters, Sue received a 'Honourable Mention' by Billboard for her entry in the World Song writing Contest of 2006 and went on to scoop 1st Place Honours at the prestigious BRIT Trust International Song writing Contest (BRIT Awards fame) in the same year with her signature tune 'Fool'. Ranked in the top 1% of independent artists at GarageBand Records and already with many other Finalist, Semi Finalist and Highly Commended Song writing Awards to her credit, Sue has since gone on to receive further Accolades for her writing and performances including Accreditation by the World Music Foundation and a much-cherished Stonewall Society Pride in the Arts Award for 'Favourite Female/Lesbian Musician' of 2007.
PRIMARY GENRES & RADIO FORMATS
PRO REVIEW: WHISPERIN & HOLLERIN
“Although her music definitely falls into the folk category, singer/songwriter Sue Merchant more closely recalls the after-dark broodiness of indie goddess Nico than her reported influences of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. Like Nico, Merchant takes you onto a somber journey, one that is coloured by the spectre of death and romantic loss. It's not easy listening to music this raw and emotional. When Merchant sings, "A photograph of you hung in my dreams," on "Virginia in the Fall," you can feel the slow beat of a longing heart. Merchant is a poet, but not just with her words. Her singing itself, weaves its own black magic and you are compelled to listen to her words. Her guitar playing, sparse and intimate, paints vivid images. On the title track, Merchant haunts the ears with both her lyrics of regret and her downbeat, melancholic voice. At times her vocals are reminiscent of Annie Lennox's, especially on 'To the Lighthouse'. However, Lennox has never sounded this pure, this unguarded. Merchant can bring a grown man to tears. On "The Homecoming," she mourns the loss of a parent with an aching yearning that shatters the heart into pieces. Without any false sentimentalism or cliched lyrics, Merchant makes us weep. As with the best Leonard Cohen records, it's the type of song that you listen to with the curtains closed. There's a saturation of singer/songwriters these days, especially here in the U.K. But Merchant easily separates herself from the pack with genuine talent and sincere artistry.”
Our Rating 9/10
Adam Harrington/Whisperin & Hollerin
FREE STREAMING AUDIO & DOWNLOADS
You can currently stream and download Sue's Music freely in 192kb MP3 format or choose your own download price using the Tip the Artist link from the menu below. Please always try to support independent music by leaving a Tip when downloading music shared freely by independent artists. If you're already a fan of Sue's - you can help her gain much more exposure by adding her music to your profiles at iLike and Facebook and by sharing your MP3's with friends and likeminded others!COMMERCIAL RELEASES
320kb Gold Masters of all the great songs featured within will be available from iTunes and all good Digital Stores together with the Artist’s Definitive Collection on Best Audio Quality Double Album CD later this year. Check back for details!We hope you will enjoy the music within and thanks for visiting.
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