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First cousins Bryan Russo and Christopher Shearer, the duo known as Boys Called Susan, released their outstanding debut album, Pennsyltucky, on October 26th. It’s a project born from shared grief and individual promises made to a dying woman, Shearer’s mother and Russo’s aunt, Susan Knudson. Both men have extensive backgrounds in music (Russo as a singer-songwriter and Shearer as a multi instrumentalist, audio engineer and producer) and they showcase their talents with rhythm and blues infused roots music with an abundance of soul and heart.
Pennsyltucky starts strong with the up-tempo “Slumlords of Paradise”, a wry reflection on the curveballs life dishes out even in the best of times and the necessity of taking the high road in some situations. The concept of facing hardships continues in a most poignant way with the lovely “Unfinished Symphony” which explores the struggle of carrying on in a world that no longer makes sense following the death of a partner. In contrast to “Unfinished Symphony”, a couple lives an opposite reality in “Pretty Pantomime”, a country tinged tale of carrying on in a bad relationship – “Cause honey I’ve grown tired of cursing the stars that shine. Going through the motions just to try to feel alright. ‘Cause honey I get lost, oh so lost, in your rattlesnake eyes. Oh just waltz with me through this pretty pantomime.”