Album Notes

Songwriter Susan Levine draws stories from the roadside of a life full of contrasts. A Harvard graduate, an actress in New York, a waitress in Santa Fe, a traveler, a music therapist, a mother, Susan chronicles the emotional and physical landscapes of the in-between -– the loved and the abandoned, the sad but hopeful, the grays rather than the black-and-whites. A finalist in the 2008 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition, the 2007 & 2005 International Songwriting Competition, the 2004 Rocky Mountain Folks Fest, and the 2004 Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Competition, and an “emerging artist” at the 2002 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, she is described by Marilyn Rea Beyer (wumb folk radio) as “a smart writer with a warm voice that can send chills down your spine.”

Susan’s sophomore album, Atlas, is an atmospheric song cycle of longing, of people and places lost and found, and of the journey home, carried by a singular voice that is “worldly without being world-weary and candid without being cynical." (miriam lawrence, 02138 magazine) From the post-9-11 heartache of "1000 Open Doors" to the defiant take on Stephen Foster's "Hard Times," Levine, backed by some of Boston's best musicians, sets her characters against a unique landscape crafted from the traditions of americana, country and folk.

Recorded and produced by Tom Eaton (ellis paul, vance gilbert), Atlas features a core band including John Sands (aimee mann) on drums, Richard Gates (suzanne vega) on bass, and Sean Staples (the resophonics) on mandolin, with Tom Eaton on piano, vibes, guitars and hammond, Mark Erelli, John Curtis, Duke Levine and Rob Laurens on guitars and Sandy Martin on pedal steel. Special guests Jennifer Kimball and Jon Nolan contribute harmonies.

*2008 Tri Centric Showcase Artist, Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conf.
*Finalist in the 2008 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition
*Finalist in the 2007 & 2005 International Songwriting Competition
*Finalist in the 2004 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival, Lyons, Colorado.
*Finalist in the 2004 Rose Garden Coffeehouse Performing Songwriter Contest.
*Semi-Finalist in the 2003 International Songwriting Competition
*Emerging Artist at the 2002 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
*Honorable Mention in American Songwriter Magazine's 2002 lyric competition