I have to admit – when I first heard Suzanna Choffel’s name I figured she fell into the Sahara Smith/Sarah Jarosz vein of female Austin-area singer-songwriters. I do enjoy both of those others, so this wasn’t a bad thing, by any means, but Choffel manages to carve out some more unique territory. On her new album, Steady Eye Shaky Bow, (not all of which I have heard yet) she carves out some different territory. Her sound has a bit more funk, a bit more bite, even though her voice is the same kind of sultry as Smith and Jarosz. A song like “Archer” (which might as well serve as the title track) maintains a fairly dark ambience through some interesting countermelodies, rich horn harmonies, and off-kilter rhythms. The below “Hold Of the Night” is a bit more straightforward but offers a much catchier chorus with a similarly full arrangement.
Hold Of The Night by Suzanna Choffel
So while the town is rightly swept up in the three-day Chaos in Tejas event, those of you looking for something a bit more low-key should check out Suzanna Choffel as part of the great line-up at the Sunshine Fest at Venue 222 tonight.