Sea Glass by Susan James - release date 16th June
For the last decade or so, the SoCal-born-and-raised James has been releasing solo albums that span Folk, Country, Pop, Rock, ethnological and gently experimental realms, an intriguingly mixed bag of music that marked her as a crafter of that near-mythical California Sound. She's a smart, Pop-minded visionary unfettered by the rules of Pop tradition, offering music and a persona radiating a sun-warmed sense of the unconventional. Sea Glass is a post modern Folk-Rock beauty that has been co-arranged by Sean O’Hagan (High Llamas, Stereolab, Super Furry Animals), who connected to James’ Topanga Canyon studio from London via transatlantic Skype sessions. To James' songs he brought a wondrous batch of his trademarked piquant string settings and all manner of unclichéd keyboard and guitar embellishments plus a lot of invaluable advice for James on how to freshen up her composing process, such as writing her songs on piano rather than her customary guitar . O’Hagan sees James as rou...