Susan Cagle
Issue #28
The Subway Recordings (Lefthook/Columbia)
By Jim Keller
Published: June 1st, 2006 | 9:06am
This winter, while playing my part in the New York subway system — returning home and subjectively wishing sluggish strangers ill will — the echo of Susan Cagle’s voice served as the sound of spring and melted my anger. Four months later, Cagle is unveiled to the world with The Subway Recordings, a 10-track album comprised of two recordings at New York’s Times Square and Grand Central stations.
Cagle and her pop-rock outfit — comprised mainly of family members — were playing the hooky track “Shakespeare” when I happened upon them. Based on her habit of asking people if they like the legendary playwright, it features a heart-pounding bass that ascends and collides with her voice on a wave of sheer exhilaration. Cagle, who performed on street corners in such far-off places as Venezuela, has mastered the art of inciting emotion. On “Be Here,” she coos like a morning dove while she pleads with an imaginary lover, and on “Ain’t It Good to Know,” she sings, “Ain’t it good to know you’ve got somebody who loves you / Ain’t it good to know you’ve got somebody who cares.”
Cagle and her band continue to perform regularly in Times Square, Union Square, and Grand Central stations, but also have toured out west where they received a standing ovation on the SXSW stage. The Subway Recordings acts as an honest portrayal of one of New York’s most prolific artists: one with raw emotion, a heartland sensibility, and a mesmeric voice.
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