Suzi Ragsdale has been in the recording studio her entire life, and considering that most of this time has been spent in Nashville, it's no wonder that her newest release (the double album) Best Regards and Less of the Same is an adorable country and folk album that makes the listener feel right at home.
Ragsdale is the brains behind her eloquent lyrics, which do such a good job at telling stories, you feel like you're in full dialogue with her while you listen. "I'm not your friend/not your wife/but hey - best regards to those who are" she sings on "Best Regards", the closer to the eponymous album, letting listeners know that she's talking directly to someone and making the audience feel like that person. On "Troublemaker", she lets loose, singing "Troublemaker, trouble me no more/leave your blues outside my door/well if I was gonna be the devil/I'd have your eyes/who'd ever suspect such a sweet disguise". Even when she tells someone to leave her alone, she sounds pleasant and homey, her country twang making her seem sweet and almost innocent.
Singing isn't the only thing Ragsdale loves - she regularly posts recipes and yoga positions on her MySpace. She obviously just wants to share what she enjoys with the world, from cooking to music. Best Regards and Less of the Same are another way to do that - she's not just singing, she's telling stories, something country music still does these days, but does in a cheesy, almost horrifyingly rhyming way. Ragsdale deserts the common standby of country music and tells stories with passion and soul.
The music on Best Regards and Less of the Same is almost perfect for what it is. It's well-made and folksy, but it has a certain country style to it that can only come from living in Nashville, which many artists try and fail to duplicate. The tracks are produced professionally and stylistically and they hone in on Ragsdale's voice and range, showing off her lyrics but managing to showcase the music behind the words, as well. The music is as honest and upfront as Ragsdale is - you can tell that the musicians involved with her are in the studio with her for the same reasons she is - to share what they love.
Suzi Ragsdale is clearly on her way. "My destination's off the chart/neither here nor there/it's all up in the air", she says on "Best Regards". She's right - with an album full of delicate honesty and homey advice, she's definitely going nowhere but up.
February 04, 2010
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