song1 song2 song3
	Susan's Home Page

Susan Cowsill –
Just Believe It

    Just Believe It is Susan Cowsill's first-ever solo album, but you probably already know her.

    The singer/songwriter made her initial mark on popular culture at the tender age of eight with The Cowsills, the 60s family pop group that scored Top Ten singles The Rain, the Park and Other Things, Hair and We Can Fly and served as the real-life inspiration for TV's fictional Partridge Family. During her decade with roots-pop supergroup The Continental Drifters, she won the hearts of discerning listeners with her impassioned vocals and personally-charged songwriting, gracing three widely-acclaimed albums and a decade’s worth of riveting
live performances. Cowsill's vocal talents have also supported recordings as diverse as those from Dwight Twilley, Redd Kross, The Smithereens, Giant Sand, Nanci Griffith, Carlene Carter and Jules Shear, while her compositions have been covered by The Bangles and Hootie and the Blowfish.

    Cowsill's much-loved prior work can now be viewed as a prelude to the stunning solo achievement of Just Believe It. The collection marks a musical and personal milestone for the artist, embodying the same qualities of musical craft and emotional nuance that distinguished her work with The Continental Drifters, while adding a deeper, more resonant and unmistakably personal edge. The CD features guest appearances
by Lucinda Williams on the hauntingly bittersweet "Nanny's Song"; Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, harmonizing with Cowsill on the upbeat "Palm of My Hand," (also featuring Cowsill's former Drifters bandmate and real-life sister-in-law, Bangle Vicki Peterson) Along with 13 new Cowsill originals, Just Believe It includes a stunning cover of Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention classic "Who Knows Where the Time Goes," which compellingly underscores Cowsill's knack for cutting straight to the heart of a song. The entire CD maintains a solid grounding in the organic honesty of rural folk and the catchy melodicism of '60s pop, while dipping into the fluid R&B grooves of Cowsill's longtime hometown of New Orleans.

    Cowsill's road-toughened combo, including Russ Broussard (Continental Drifters) on drums, Chris Knotts, formerly of Flatware, on guitar and former Continental Drifter Ray Ganucheau adding guitar and vocals, merges a seamless rock sensibility with an organic sensitivity that echoes the singer's own.

           Hurricane Katrina posed unexpected challenges to New Orleans musicians, including Susan Cowsill. After losing her home and possessions when Katrina destroyed her city, Susan later learned that her beloved brother Barry had lost his life in the storm’s aftermath. Susan’s commitment to New Orleans remains passionate and steadfast, which is evident in her powerful Hurricane Katrina song, Crescent City Snow. According to respected sources in the music industry, this song just may go down in musical history as the most poignant to come out of the catastrophe. Susan does all she can to help maintain national awareness of conditions in New Orleans. She is proud to perform alongside her fellow musicians for the benefit of New Orleans and has contributed her songs to relief effort compilation CDs. Susan Cowsill’s humanitarian efforts also include working against child abuse and actively supporting peaceful causes.

Whether she's delivering a heart-tugging ballad or belting out a punchy rock tune, Susan Cowsill has an exceptional talent for recognizing and connecting with a song's emotional core. Rolling Stone praised Just Believe It as “The hardy, heartbreaking sound of…a bar-band angel…in the prime of her singing and songwriting life.” The Washington Post proclaimed "As good as Cowsill’s voice is, her smart, emotional songwriting is her biggest asset.” All Music Guide raved "Cowsill has stories to tell and she tells them with a skill and vigor that never lets artifice get in the way of cutting to the emotional truth… Quite simply, debut albums are rarely as moving, as revealing or as accomplished as Just Believe It. This is masterful music from a major talent."