Sue Decker Released New Album “Keeping Time”

Sue Decker’s rich and warm voice, distinctive slide guitar playing, and authentic songwriting make for a powerful combination. Ever since learning to play her first guitar chords in a bluegrass jam at the age of thirty-five, Sue has been discovering her truth in song. These days, her music inhabits the borderlands where blues, folk, country, and soul meet. “We have proof here that Ry Cooder and Lucinda Williams once hooked up. Decker is a mind-blowing talent not to be missed.” ~ Midwest Record.

March 2024 sees the release of Sue’s second album, Keeping Time. She collaborated with sought-after roots producer Steve Dawson to record at The Henhouse Studio in Nashville. Powerful, intimate, and playful songs made the cut for this long-awaited record. Killer playing by Steve on guitars and pedal steel alongside supreme Nashville session musicians Dave Jacques on bass and Justin Amaral on drums give each song a first-rate platform for Sue’s dynamic vocals.

On Keeping Time, Sue’s unique capacity for pairing meaningful and topical lyrics with ear-catching melodies shines through. True to her aim as a songwriter, she uses ordinary language to fuse everyday moments with the unspeakable and the extraordinary. The album title comes from a line in one of the songs, but it felt right to describe the whole album. The recording process was mostly live-off-the-floor playing music together in real time. The songs hold a lifetime of experiences within small moments—looking back on the past and what was not meant to be, current challenges we’re all facing, and preparing for what the future may hold.

In 2019, Sue released her debut full length album Outskirts of Love to international acclaim. “Decker’s songs and vocals show her to be an artist with a great future . . . marvelous stuff.” (John Valenteyn, Toronto Blues Society). Outskirts delivered twelve original songs with passion and honesty, spanning solo country blues, evocative ballads, and full band soul arrangements. “Sue Decker has one of the most remarkable voices I have heard for many a day. She has a warm voice, deep and strong and there is a haunting quality to it that gave me chills when I first put the album on . . . the whole thing is a terrific listen.”   ~ Blues Matters UK.

On stage, Sue’s wit and compassion draw the audience in while travelling through territory that is earthy and beautiful, sometimes dark and gritty, and always life-giving. Whether rocking out on lap steel while fronting her band or weaving an intimate connection with listeners as a solo performer, Sue is guided by authenticity, a belief that everyone’s story matters, and faith in the eternal power of a song.