Artists:SusanJoy Grieco

SusanJoy Grieco’s music is adventurous and eclectic. She describes it as "Pop Country Rock." Her influences include Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, and on the other end of the spectrum, Ella Fitzgerald & Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, Burt Bacharach, Irving Berlin and the Gershwins. The list goes on and on.

Music is an active calling for SusanJoy. She sang before she talked, and began short story writing, songwriting, poetic writing, singing and performing at a very early age. “I write and perform because I am moved to. I must. It’s like the need to breathe or drink water. It’s natural, and it soothes.”

Audiences appreciate her performances, too. So it seems the soothing is a mutual thing. And audiences adore her stories of how songs are born. People often ask SusanJoy, how do you write a song? Like, where does that come from? "Simply living life," she shrugs. "For example, the pop-rock crowd pleaser 'The Air' was inspired while appreciating my fantastic family and friends. Fans say this song feels like being at an outdoor U2 or Sheryl Crow concert. And the sassy singalong song 'Loverboy' wrote itself after I saw the flirtations of some country stars in a Nashville coffeehouse. Listeners have called it a tongue-in-cheek Dixie Chicks style. Inspiration also comes from misbehaving pets. A noisy bird kicked-off the pleasing 'Fricasse Shuffle', reminiscent of the Paul Simon/Jimmy Buffet genre, complete with its own dance steps. Or, eavesdropping on a lovers quarrel became the moody, jazzy composition, “He Said, She Said.” My discerning friends pick-up on the Dave’s True Story or Joni Mitchell vibe to this tune. To me, writing is my meditation. And if songs can soothe my audience too, that is like goosebumps to me!"

Speaking of goosebumps, in 2002, SusanJoy traveled to the songwriters' Meccas, Nashville and Memphis, Tennessee. It was a profound experience.

SusanJoy plays a Taylor 514 ce Grand Auditorium Cutaway 6 string acoustic. A Western Red cedar top brings extra warmth and responsiveness and is a perennial favorite among finger-stylists and singer-songwriters alike.

Excited by the thrill and ease of touching many hearts through songs, SusanJoy began recording. Her debut CD, titled TurnAround, was released in May 2005. It was mastered and recorded at the multi-Grammy Award winning Bennett Studios, in Englewood, NJ.

The acclaimed session musicians featured on TurnAround include: bassist Kasim Sultan (Meatloaf), background vocalist Eric Troyer (John Lennon, The Orchestra/ELO), drummer Adrian D’Souza (Roseanna Vitro) mandolinist/guitarist Andy Goessling (Railroad Earth) engineer Dave Kowlaski (Grammy winner - The Spanish Harlem Orchestra featuring Ruben Blades). Local New Jersey performer/teacher John Harritty also plays on the CD, TurnAround.

--From the artist's MySpace page.