Oh Susannah

Before the plan was devised and hatched to make Sandra Bullock the future Mrs. Maeda, there was another. Back in the archives of Cheapo lore lies my affection for this other who every time I saw her, every time I heard her, my heart would go flutter like a little bunny's. Susanna Hoffs, formerly of the Bangles, forever a fabulous babe, was this other lucky person that once occupied my heart. Whenever I saw her do that thing with her eyes, the "look" where she turns her gaze to the side, sigh...

So deep and so public was my affection that former Cheapo East Manager, Brian Haws, who used to disagree with me just to see if I actually had a pulse, used to fill my work shifts with disparaging remarks about Susanna ("She's got bug eyes! She says 'cowps' instead of cops in Walk Like an Egyptian and that isn't even a word!") just to test my loyalty to Ms. Hoffs. Christina Schlieske, now known as Tina of Tina and the B-Side Movement, promised to set me up with her friend Missy Morales because she supposedly looked exactly like Ms. Hoffs. Fernande Rodgers, who used to manage our video rentals back when we used to have video rentals, set aside Susanna's movie, The Allnighter just for me as soon as it arrived in the store so I could be the very first to see it. She also gave me the promotional poster that came along, all the while muttering underneath her breath, "I can't believe such an otherwise intelligent young man can behave so childish..."

When the Bangles broke up a few years back it was to me what the breakup of the Jayhawks was to many others. While it meant Susanna was now free to pursue solo endeavors, it meant the end of a group whose work I so enjoyed. As deep as my admiration was for Susanna, it was the group's harmonies and those jangly Byrd like guitars that made me listen to the music. Thus Susanna's first solo effort, When You're a Boy, though much anticipated was a bit of a let down. The CD was OK, but nothing I listen to very often. One of the Bangles charms was their astute choice of cover songs from Jules Shear's If She Knew What She Wants, to Alex Chilton's September Gurls, the group had a knack for complimenting decent originals with other well written songs. Susanna tried following the same formula with her effective and unusual cover of David Bowie's Boys Keep Swinging, but the rest of the disc seemed a bit impersonal at best.

It took six years for the follow up to finally arrive, the self titled Susanna Hoffs, but it was well worth the wait. The disc combines Susanna's whispy vocals with rocking good tunes, economical ballads, and a strong selection of songs. Like all good collections, the CD gathers impact with each repeated listen. The growth and maturity from her first disc is impressive during a time when the competition has raised the stakes, everyone from Sheryl Crow to Joan Osborne, Jewel to Tori Amos, Liz Phair to Patti Rothberg, Susanna's disc, with her sense of adventure and artistic aspirations holds its own. Now a veteran of the industry she helped move forward, it's appropriate that she is making a return of sorts in an era where the traditional has withstood the test of trends. With the return to form of perennial favorites like the world champion Yankees and Packers, Hoffs' comeback is welcome. Hers is a voice that was missed and has gained strength over the years, now achingly authentic in its appealing vulnerability.

Susanna Hoffs opens with her multi- tracked vocal sweetly "aahing" above a lone piano and the gentle strum of an acoustic guitar. Beekeeper's Blues strings several pop lyric homilies, "no good deed goes unpunished," "these boots are made for walking, they're walking back to you," "you were a future star, who do you think you are?" into an effective bittersweet diatribe directed toward one who the singer wants to walk away from as much as she wants to walk next to. The second song, a cover of the Lightning Seeds' All I Want, is the CD's first single. It is a lush ballad sung confidently by one who is willing to lay down what she wants. Indeed it is the sheer confidence of the singing and presentation that makes these silly love songs immensely listenable.

Other highlights include the confessional Darling One a song about her struggles and frustrations with her record label. "I saw you waiting there for the music to come back. Feeling blue cause there's so much to live up to. I wish that somehow I could give it to you." There's a "bonus" track cover of Lulu's To Sir With Love sung with convincing affection. Also Weak With Love a touching tribute to John Lennon, the most moving I've heard since Paul McCartney's Here Today. The song works because it doesn't praise John to the heavens but rather reflects on the loss the singer felt when she heard about his murder.

The disc reminds that the arc of time can be so compelling. Art that endures is as difficult to find as a permanent feeling. Feelings evolve and change, some for better, some for worse and one almost never knows which way they will go. It's a challenge to understand one's roots as those roots are constantly growing. Infatuation turns to intrigue turns to respect- a heart's beat. It is a lesson music like this helps one to understand.

NEXT WEEK: The Martha Quinn Years