BIO
Sue lives in the
South West of England and inherited her love of music and poetry from her
father. Describing herself always as 'just a poet with a guitar',
Sue has been lead singer with several popular bands in the South West of
England, offering a diverse repertoire and has also appeared as a solo artist,
performing her own expressive compositions at many regional venues on the
Folk Scene. Inspired by real people and actual events and impassioned in
her most formative years by such icons as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen; it's
perhaps no surprise that remnants of such powerful early influences are still
reflected in Sue's songwriting today.
PRO REVIEW "Although
her music definitely falls into the folk category, singer songwriter Sue
Merchant more closely recalls the after-dark broodiness of indie goddess Nico
than her reported influences of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez. Like Nico,
Merchant takes you on a sombre journey, one that is coloured by the spectre of
death and romantic loss. It's not easy listening to music this raw and
emotional. When Merchant sings, "A photograph of you hung in my
dreams," on "Virginia in the Fall," you can feel the slow beat
of a longing heart. Merchant is a poet, but not just with her words. Her
singing itself, weaves its own black magic and you are compelled to listen to
her words. Her guitar playing, sparse and intimate, paints vivid
images. On the title track, Merchant haunts the ears with both her lyrics
of regret and her downbeat, melancholic voice. Without any false sentimentalism or
cliched lyrics, Merchant makes us weep. As with the best Leonard Cohen
records, it's the type of song that you listen to with the curtains closed.
There's a saturation of singer songwriters these days, especially here in the
U.K. But Merchant easily separates herself from the pack with genuine talent
and sincere artistry.
Our Rating 9/10 Adam Harrington/Whisperin & Hollerin"
Industry
Credits include:-
* 1st
Place Honours: BRIT Trust International Songwriting Contest 2006
* Billboard
Honours List: World Songwriting Contest 2006/7
* 1st Place Honours: Stonewall Society Pride in the Arts Award for
Favourite Female/Lesbian Artist of 2007
* Accreditation
by the World Music Foundation in 2006 for Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting
MUSIC AID & The WMF
Music Aid has worked with
some of the biggest names in music and it has been an important non profit
presence working with many international bodies including the United Nations
UNV Program. During these ten years it has provided resources and educational
opportunities for musicians worldwide, provided schooling and educational
support for children in developing countries, helped thousands of people
wishing to enter the music industry, distributed free musical instruments, promoted
and supported many music benefit events and CDs and helped to fund and
administer worthwhile projects on three continents.
The Music Aid annual
International Song Contest and Music Awards provides an international showcase
and springboard for new musical talent. Participants from over thirty countries
took part in these events during 2006 and 2007
with tens of thousands of votes cast for the best performers and songwriters.
The event also provides an opportunity to highlight and promote awareness of
good causes such as Linkin Park's Music For Relief program, The Earth Lab
Foundation and the Agape Orphanage. Music Aid has worked on many projects with
a wide range of partners including the World Music Foundation, the BBC, AOL,
the United Nations UNV Program, the BRIT Trust, WMF Child Aid, The
International Song Copyright Organization (SCO), The Earth Lab Foundation, The
UK Songwriting Contest, Amazon Stores, Diaspora for Africa, Linkin' Park's
Music For Relief program and many others.
The World Music Foundation Diploma in Music has been a popular international music qualification for many years. In 2006 the WMF merged with The Music Aid Organization, and from August 2006 this qualification will no longer be widely available to the general public. It will be restricted to those people who are studying at WMF and Music Aid centers and also to members of approved educational and professional associations. A limited number of Honorary Diplomas will continue to be issued jointly by the World Music Foundation and Music Aid Boards each year for outstanding performance or achievement.
If
you have an enquiry about the World Music Foundation Diploma in Music please
email: enquiry@musicaid.org
Reflections from the Edge - Part 1 
L Y R I C S
Fool Four in the morning An old Tom Cat’s calling You can bet it’s for you
Blood on my pillow My body's all yellow and blue Pull up your braces And wipe
the kid’s faces for school But I, I’m through loving you Four in the morning
The old kettle’s boiling And a row’s brewing too You watch me undressing Just
to laugh at the mess that I’m in You mock all my prizes And make all surprises
un-new And I, I’m through loving you Four in the morning The last snows are
falling And I’m falling too The train’s almost leaving And the kids almost
waving to you Pull up your braces Remember these faces, you fool Because I, I’m
through loving you Because I, I’m through loving you.
Water over Stone I watch her from my windowsill
Chasing butterflies and bees She keeps them in an old coffee jar Gives
them broken sticks and leaves She hasn’t been the same Since Frankie left her
all alone Her broken heart all washed away Like water over stone I’ve heard
them say she lost her mind When the old man passed away They say she never
spoke again And wouldn’t leave his grave They say she only looked confused When
the Bank done took their home! Her hold on life all washed away Like water over
stone So I watch her from my windowsill Chasing butterflies and bees She keeps
them in an old coffee jar Gives them broken sticks and leaves The men in white
sit quietly by She can’t be left alone Her mind like mine, all washed away
Like
water over stone
To the Lighthouse I can kiss the autumn
breeze And I can dance amongst the leaves At your sleepy, mountain home You
will see my spirit soar And my heart beat upon your door Some still night when
you’re alone Meet me at the Lighthouse And we can rest I love you so much more
Than in all our lives before My Vita I can trace your perfect smile Upon the
clouds that pass me by As I ride the Lombard Plain In the mirrors of your mind,
You will see my love unwind As you board your morning train Meet me at the
Lighthouse And we can rest I love you so much more Than in all our lives before
My Vita Someday in your Blue Mountains You will see a lone collard
dove Flying free
Never tethered, never bound
She will never touch the ground
And you’ll remember me
You’ll remember me Vita, can you hear your lover call? Can you hear her at all? She is lost amongst the tides of the lives you’ve lived and died Dear Vita. Remember me Remember me And so I journey across
these plains To see my Venice once again And I’m missing you, my dear Italy’s
in snow Another train’s about to go And I wish that you were here Meet me at
the Lighthouse And we can rest I love you so much more Than in all our lives
before My Vita For I love you so much more
Than in all our lives before My Vita
Breaking Icicles There’s a Blackbird in my Yard He looks so cold He’s hardly moved at
all I think he’s old Night is falling I hear him call From that bough He’s
breaking icicles Breaking icicles now Sometimes late at night I see his face In
my dream, I take to flight And take his place The man I’m missing Is gently
kissing my brow He’s breaking icicles Breaking icicles now Like a whisper in the breeze Like a teardrop
lost at sea Like a shooting star That fell too far He was gone And these old
photographs And a love song’s all I have To bring him back to me To bring him
home Like a whisper in the breeze Like a teardrop lost at sea Like a shooting
star That fell too far He was gone And these old photographs And a love song’s
all I have To bring him back to me To bring him home There’s a Blackbird in my
Yard Too weak to fly And it’s breaking my heart Just to sit and watch him try
Daylight’s breaking An Angel’s taking his vows
And I’m missing him now
I can feel I can feel I can feel You
shout in my ear Like I’m not even here Inside But I’m alive I can feel I can
feel You laugh at my shame When I can’t say your name And I cry But I’m alive I
can feel I can feel You fall from his Grace When you run from this place But I
I’ll survive.
Sarah, sing me the Blues What are you going to do now? Now your dreams have flown away They
couldn’t stay And what you’re going through now And how your heart was left to
bleed For other’s greed But you can pour your heart out In your songs and still
belong You’ll see And you can play your part out Right or wrong You’ll still be
strong to me Sarah, sing me the Blues Sarah, sing me the Blues What are going
to do now? As canvas fades from blue to Grey It’s another day and what you’re
going through now Deserting friends who saw the pain Desert again! But you can
hold your head up High, in here with no more fear You’ll see And you can fly again
with wings that bind The hearts and minds Of those like me Sarah, sing me the
Blues Sarah, sing me the Blues So what are you going to do now? You’ll write
the words to take you home And sail alone And what you’re going through now The
silver smiles that shot you down Well, they’re the clowns Because you can mend
your heart Through open keys and still believe, You’ll see And you can make a
start with open arms And songs that charm and set you free Sarah, sing me the
Blues Sarah, sing me the Blues
Virginia in the Fall I’m packing up my things And throwing caution to the winds I’m damned
if I know What it’s all been for? So I’m loading’ up my fears Along with all
these wasted years I wont be needing either anymore Oh I have to fly And try to
catch Virginia in the Fall I’ve nothing left to lose Except Tomorrow and the
Blues I’ve strength enough to leave But not to stay I’ve got a dollar in my
jeans And my old banjo from my teens And a photograph of you Hung in my dreams
Oh I have to fly And try to catch Virginia in the Fall Fly pretty Blue Jay, fly
High over rooftops Fly ‘til your heart stops Fly pretty Blue Jay, fly So I’ll
spread these precious wings And I’ll learn how to fly again And catch the
midnight breeze To where you sleep There’s no sound quite as clear As that lone
whisper in your ear “What you haven’t
thrown away You get to keep” So I have
to fly And try to catch Virginia in the Fall Oh I have to fly
And try to catch
Virginia in the Fall
Hey Drew Drew, skies here are blue Father still asks after you Dallas, he still
writes to John You know? Just can’t accept that he’s gone Hey Drew, just
who’s shooting who? Friends, far and few Sundays with nothing to do The News,
they all talk of peace you know? But Drew, there’s fire in the skies To the
East Hey Drew, just who’s shooting who? The price of your pride Are the friends
who have died At your side Drew Now you carry that gun Like you once did, your
son Like a prize The boy in your aim has a face He has a name; he’s a child,
Drew But you’ll carry his card And his bones to the yard Because you’re told to Drew, skies here are blue
Teddy has gone back to school But the boy who once walked So tall you know?
Drew, now he just can’t walk at all Hey Drew, just who’s shooting who? Hey
Drew, what’s true?
Virtually Unreal Kick off your shoes and stay a while I’ll upload some Blues And send
you the file I don’t need to know your name I’ll love you beautifully, just the
same But can’t you see you’re virtually unreal Text me a tale and key it in
softly Of sunset and sails And dolphins and whales Make it like Bronte I don’t
need to see your face You’re beautiful here in my cyber space But can’t you see
we’re virtually unreal? Don’t call this
living This isn’t living You’re life’s a world of make believe Where no one stays
and no-one leaves Don’t call this living So kick off your shoes and stay a while My Draft folder’s empty and so
am I And I won’t ever criticize It took fifteen years to realize
But hey, I’m
free, I’m virtually unreal Hey, I’m free I’m virtually unreal
The Game Hey Baby You’ve been
sitting there for hours And I don’t think she’s calling today So maybe You
could come home to stay now Because I just can’t keep living this way If you
straighten that tie. One more time, I’ll just die You whisper her name in your
sleep You tell me you need me Each time as you leave me Won’t you make me a
promise You’ll keep? You tell me you need me Each time as you leave me Make me
a promise you’ll keep Hey Baby I’ve been loving you for years And I still remember that day
You swore on your life When you made me your wife That you’d never forsake me
this way Well, I’m tired of the girls And I’m tired of the games I’m tired
of the gambling and booze And I’m tired of forgiving And so tired of living
When your love’s just a card game I lose I’m tired of forgiving So damn tired
of living Love’s just a card game I lose
