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David Menconi on the best rock and more
The best records give you a sense of the people behind them, and Susan Cowsill's "Just Believe It" (Blue Corn Music) is practically a 15-track version of "This Is Your Life." Cowsill's first solo album in a 40-year career, "Just Believe It" has the melodic and harmonic flourishes you'd expect from a one-time member of the Cowsills, who were among the finest purveyors of California dreamin'-style Nixon-era pop. There's also the stoic roots rock of her old supergroup, the Continental Drifters; accents of New Orleans, her hometown for the past 13 years; well-chosen covers (Beach Boys, Sandy Denny); and an appealing just-folks straightforwardness throughout. The bouncy title track is especially outstanding, with a lilting hook so sturdy you could tote a block of ice on it. After a terrific performance at Raleigh's Pour House last September, Cowsill plays a return engagement there on Saturday (www.thepourhouse.musictoday.com).
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Susan Cowsill returns to Raleigh's Pour House
PHOTO BY CATHERINE CARTER
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