CD Reviews

Suzanne Palmer

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By MICHAEL FREEDBERG | February 14, 2006

3.0 Stars

EARNESTNESS, VERSATILITY Suzanne Palmer compensates for her lack of quirkiness

One of house music’s emblematic voices, Palmer at last gets her debut CD, and it’s a good one. A who’s who of house-music producers, including Peter Rauhofer, David Morales, Cevin Fisher, Eric Kupper, and Fred Jorio (as well as several newcomers), take Palmer through practically every style of house, from tribal (“Sound of the Drum,” “Come Getcha Love”), techno (“Eye Can See It”), and garage (“Separate Ways”), to gospel (“Keep the Faith”), Miami beach beat (“Fascinated”), Italo-disco (“The Days”), husky and horny (“Show Me,” “I Want You”), and pure soul (“One Day”). Wherever she goes, Palmer makes the dancer believe, whether she’s singing soprano highs or contralto lows or whispering a monologue. Her sure-handed singing does lack the flamboyance of Barbara Tucker and never matches either Ultra Nate’s croon or Liz Torres’s quirky nasty gal, but she more than compensates with the earnestness she imparts to every note — no dance diva has ever loved her fans more convincingly — and with her versatility.

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