Susan James Happier Than Laetitia Sadier: a review
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On the evening of March 6th at the Fox Cabaret, Laetitia Sadier presented her recently released album Rooting For Love and some other solo work. The welcoming venue seemed almost sold out and the age of attendees indicated fans of Laetitia’s earlier gorgeous sonic concoctions with Stereolab. Due to financial constraints of lugging a band around the continent she played solo guitar and trombone with help of a drum machine and other preprogrammed effects. Laetitia is a concerned and angry world citizen and the songs reflect this. Catch a glimpse of the news these days from a reputable source and you can’t help but be pissed off. She is and she is not here to entertain you by serving up the hits nor any David Lee Roth moves. No 'la las' or 'do dos' from the 90s. This is performance art and once the performance has settled with me now for a few days I realize the importance of her art. Indeed the new songs concern heavy subjects and the music supports the sentiments. An hour with the activist artist was informative, important and worthwhile and its fallout will stick around in the air for a time (and it's welcome to do so). Check out her new album and give it at least a few listens for impact.
Susan James from California opened with her finely crafted songs of protest aided by her talented electric guitar playing and warm-hearted intersong stories. Love to see her with a full band. Susan is a pro and worth a deep dive into her extensive catalogue.