Pop music is typically not my cup of tea, mainly because it’s either too whiney or it’s too sappy, sometimes both actually. There are times though that I find a few groups/singers that will catch my attention by making pop exactly what it is supposed to be, pop. Susan Justice is one of those musicians that has talent and skill that allows her songs, though they might be pop music, sound interesting as well as good. It’s not really the pacing of the songs or even the lyrics that had me liking the album “Eat Dirt” by Susan Justice. In fact the songs are really not much different than most pop songs out there where she’s in love, she’s having a hard time with life, she is pining over someone, or wanting to change to make him love her more. What I was impressed on is the sound of the vocals on Susan Justice.
What makes the songs on “Eat Dirt” good is that Susan Justice has such a sexy, sultry, and strong voice. Even with the songs being the typical love themed songs, which is what I don’t like about them, her voice draws me into wanting to listen to them. I’m not going to act like I don’t listen to Susan Justice when I actually do but I will admit that the woman has a beautiful voice. The meaning, the lyrics, and the sappiness of the songs I didn’t like but I was very content to just sit here listening to the way her vocals sound. It can easily be heard that this woman is the vocals, no enhancements by using the audio board to tweak the way she sounds. What I hear on “Eat Dirt” is what I would expect to hear if Susan Justice were to stand in front of me and start to sing.
The songs on this album have a simple beat to them where if she sat down with a guitar to play the whole album it could be done and it would still sound good. What makes these songs work is not the instruments or the complexity of the songs structure but Susan Justice’s vocals. Her songs have feelings, it’s a story, though at times it’s a sappy story, it’s still a story that has been made intriguing because of her voice. Because of her voice the lyrics are really clear to understand and what is understood is that the songs sounds like she is singing about her life. As I said before, “Eat Dirt” has a pop to it that makes the songs catch your attention but after listening to Susan Justices voice for a few seconds you will be drawn in until the song is finished.