The Blue Door

Susan Herndon's decades-long career has given us songs that are both confessional and universal, presented in a way that is not really folk, not really Americana, but can live proudly in both of those worlds. This is never more obvious than on *Big Blue Beautiful Dream*. It's a retrospective of a time of deep sadness and betrayal but with an eye on a future of serenity and forgiveness and yes, even new love. While these songs reveal hard truths, this is by no means a brooding effort. Many so-called songwriter confessions come with an absence of strong melody, choruses or bridges, relying mainly on the story. Not these songs. I came of age when pop music grabbed you hard and did not let go, it was not as casual as today. This is music that will stay with you long after the first listen. Music falls on our ears differently, but these are the kind of songs I want to hear. *Big Blue Beautiful Dream* is as memorable as it is important. From the opening horn riffs that introduce "Love Glasses" to the closing hope of "You Can't Take That Away," Susan Herndon has given us the best work of her career. Listen Hard! Joe Baxter is a long-suffering, little-known, hometown, pre-Americana, redneck, short-haired, red-faced, irreverent, irresponsible, quirkily well-read, bombastic yet insightful, mouth-breathing, loud-laughing, dog-loving, nap-taking, no-workin', fish-catching, backroad-driving, liberal, Okie songwriter.