January 2004

Recent Reviews by the Press     

Imaginative vocals steer songs miles from traditional fare
Chicago Tribune
Kevin McKeough/ Steppenwolf Theatre performance in Chicago

Suzzy and Maggie Roche have never been typical even by the standards of contemporary singer-songwriters.. The songs lilting, leaping melodies were set to arrangements that drew on folk and country as well as sacred music.  Suzzy kept things light with her white spats and kooky banter, and Maggie suggested a Motown earth mother with her salt and pepper hair, glasses and bass guitar.  Suzzy's high flying soprano and Maggie's soulful alto produced both the haunting effects of religious chant and the whimsical delights of the Roches' early material. Their voices provided a glorious example of the ideal expressed in this performance.

Album of the Week
New York Times
Ann Powers on “Songs from an Unmarried Housewife & Mother, Greenwich Village USA”

It's all about lumpy love, prickly middle aged couples and never quite lovers, babies on roller coasters and too-young expectant moms on commuter trains.  Ms. Roche's clean, conversational voice sounds just like a friend's on the phone, telling idle stories that turn out to be unforgettable.  

Zero Church
Usa Today
Brian Mansfield

“It's a very delicate subject, talking to people about their prayers” says Suzzy.  Suzzy & Maggie's new album, Zero Church is an openhearted collection of prayers from people representing a wide range of religious, ethnic and social backgrounds.  The songs on Zero Church have tender yet unruly melodies that rarely go where expected, a lot like good prayers, ones spoken from the heart and not from years of absorbing the phrases and cadences of church services.  A former slave from Sudan expresses his gratitude for deliverance from his plight.  A Massachusetts firefighter and Vietnam verteran struggles to come to terms with his actions during the war.  One of Suzzy's most moving pieces came after the attacks on Sept 11, written for a New York firehouse that lost a dozen men when the twin towers collapsed.  “A lot of people on the record have had a lot of trouble in their lives,” Suzzy says.  “I discovered that when there is a lot of trouble, there is a certain humility and openness and vulnerability that enables people to pray.”

Zero Church began as a project at the Institute on the Arts and Civic Dialogue at Harvard University founded by playwright/actress Anna Deavere Smith.  

Holy Smokes
New York Magazine
**** (4 Stars)

folky, acoustic and emotionally exposed without a hint of mawkishness, or hackneyed sentiment... Thing is, after all these years and albums, Roche is still as fresh and relevant as any of them - and more than most.