S. J. TUCKER is a compelling independent singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fire artist. Named Queen of the Bards by music industry professionals, S. J. is based in Memphis, TN, and tours the USA solo and as leader of the band, Skinny White Chick. Since her exit from accursed 'dayjobhood' in 2004, S. J. has released four full-length albums containing all-original material, two studio and two live, on nothing but her own steam, and has run rings around her own U. S. touring circuit more than once. Haphazard, released in 2004, is her debut album.
Expect hardy musical cuisine, primal energy, and melodies that weave into the mind and heart like knot work: Tucker will make you think, laugh, dance, and be still by giving you songs to sink your teeth into. The gift of her mind-bending acoustic reality will haunt you sweetly through your day and enrich your life experience. S. J. Tucker, “the maddest hatter on the bardic path,” (St. Louis Social Circle) will stay in your memory in her guise as Skinny White Chick, for what you see is what you get--and what you hear is undeniably powerful.
"The lone guitar troubadour is one of American’s most potent yet underrated archetypes. From Bob Dylan to Ani Difranco, you can count on this figure to deliver truth in a handful of notes. Well, there’s a newcomer to the six-string pantheon: S.J. “Sooj” Tucker. And if her album Haphazard is any indication, this “skinny white chick” is gonna be remembered.
Sooj is the Real Deal. Not since I first heard Dar Williams have I been as taken from the word “go” by an acoustic artist. She’s got Dar’s sardonic sincerity coupled with Difranco’s passion, Janis Ian’s vocal chops, and the deft guitar hands of Emily Saylers. Her lyrics swell up from the underworld where so many artists venture but which few truly understand. So young, and yet so bloody old! She can span Maiden, Mother and Crone in a single song, then spin them all together by the next.
Though rooted in streetwise sensibility, Tucker’s lyrics evoke magic. “I keep shifting into Dragon at the most improper times,” she sings in “Heart Beat,” and that Dragon skims across her music, breathing fire on what might become clichés for a lesser artist. “In the House of Mama Dragon” pays sly homage to her apparent mentor, while “Heart Beat” portrays a rite that becomes epiphany. Faerie glamour and faerie-tale characters weave throughout this album, casting fabulous light across the usual cast of rotten boyfriends, tattooed girlfriends and other sundry crises. Yet despite these mystical overtones, Haphazard never gets cheesy. Its magic is folkish without becoming filkish.
Wit and raw emotion keep this gem burning. “Stickit” shreds a crappy partner — beautifully; “Crystal Cave” evokes both Merlin and Inanna; “Mummy Medusa” performs myth-reinvention in the Angela Carter vein, while “Eulogy Song” both mocks and treasures Darkwave youth. Honestly, this album doesn’t have a weak spot. The production is sparse but clean; the instrumentation (nearly all of it by Tucker) is transcendent. The intro to “Follow Me Down” is one of the most haunting pieces of guitarwork I have ever heard. Each song stands on its own. There is no filler here. Yes, it’s guitar-folk in the troubadour tradition, but Gods it’s staggering what this woman can do.
Like the archetype she embodies, Sooj Tucker is touring the States in support of her music. Even if you’re not a fan of acoustic folk, I urge you to track her down. Haphazard deserves to be part of your music collection, and Tucker deserves all the attention she can get."
--PHIL BRUCATO for newWitch Magazine
For more information, please visit S. J.'s website:
http://www.skinnywhitechick.com
PURCHASE S. J.'S OTHER ALBUMS HERE ON CDBABY!
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sjtucker2 - the second studio album, Tangles
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/tuckersj - the live album
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