"Were-owl" by SJ "Sooj" Tucker from Mischief

"Who, who, who is it dares—!"

The filk song "Were-owl" takes the motif of a were-owl to produce "a tribute to the wild creature in each of us, to the uncertainty and danger of love, and to the wonder of loving someone who's a bit outside your ken" (per the artist's blog post on the song).

It's a lovely catchy tune, with an ethereal but earthy feel, reminding me of stories of wild fae and such. The song flows smoothly, with percussion and guitar and cello (and guest background vocals from the singer Michelle Dockrey from Escape Key). Everything blends perfectly, without drowning out the vocals.

Speaking of vocals, SJ "Sooj" Tucker's smooth voice likewise fits the song. I believe it's an alto, and it helps the earthy aspect. Her voice suits the emotion, and the cello accents it well.

Overall, it's a worthy example of an independent folk artist with filk influence if you want to give the genre a try. The lyrics are poetic, but best appreciated when listening to the song. The vocals suit perfectly, and Sooj has a great voice, even if it does annoy me a bit because I find it hard to sing along with. I highly recommend it.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 9/10

Check out "Were-Owl" on Amazon or on Sooj's website! (Original song edition is here.)

"Cheshire Kitten (We're all mad here)" by SJ "Sooj" Tucker from Mischief

"But if you find it in your dreams, you can find it in your day job"—it being Wonderland, of course. "[W]e're all mad here / and it's okay!"

This fast-paced acoustic song that might be called filk (fantasy-based folk), and I'm frankly fonder of it than I expected to be. SJ "Sooj" Tucker provides backing percussion if not vocals at live concerts like the one mentioned in my review of "Still Catch the Tide". I've therefore listened to a few of her songs on YouTube, but they didn't strike my fancy.

I actually looked her up again to try to get some more artists reviewed on this blog that aren't entirely my cup of tea. Um, ooops? (I'll make sure to put some songs of hers that I don't care for in the queue, though.)

Sooj sings eloquently and soothingly, with some classical formation of the vowels (or so I believe from what few vocal lessons I've had). The guitar accents it at a fast pace.

The lyrics, though, are the focus of this song based on Alice in Wonderland. A Cheshire kitten's having to learn how to become a Cheshire cat, and he or she's having some trouble with self-identity. The Cheshire cats speak truth in riddles so nobody understands it. After all, "the Jabberwock never bothered anyone, but nobody believes him to this day—and why should they?" believe the Jabberwock's word?

Overall, it's an enjoyable tribute to Alice in Wonderland, but if you don't like loony songs, you won't like it.

As of this review's writing, Sooj offers this song on her site, where listeners can buy individual songs for a donation and the full 12-song album for $10 US.

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Lyrics: 4/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 8/10

"The Truth about Ninjas" by SJ "Sooj" Tucker from Mischief

I just so happened to have this album playing in the background while I was working on a freelance assignment, the other day. This song came up, and by the time I'd reached the "I must restrain my urges to…" line, I'd made a mental note to refer my best friend to this ode to the invulnerability of ninjas.

…Then I heard that line in its entirety: "I must restrain my urges to run naked through my yard" (emphasis mine).

O_O Wot?!

And it continues with why the ninja in question can't simply give into her urge, for her "career would shrivel up and die", but how fun it would be! (And there's a damn in there, to express just how much fun.) Beyond the unnecessary curse, it's an amusing little ditty that jokes about getting naked just to see the neighbors' reactions.

Music-wise, the music is pretty much quick guitar that varies with what's being sung. It's a parody song, and the focus is the lyrics. The changing music, varying tempo, and singer's vocals were obviously built around the lyrics. It wouldn't necessarily be easy to modify this one to make it parody something else, which is nice.

SJ "Sooj" Tucker, singer and song writer, obviously knows what she's doing.

Overall, if you don't mind one cuss and you like ninjas, you'll likely enjoy this song. As of this writing, you can listen to this song on Sooj's website.

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Lyrics: *3/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: *7/10

*This song contains one misuse of damn.

"Neptune" by SJ "Sooj" Tucker from Mischief

I've realized that all my favorite music genres are ones I usually have to explain to whoever I mention them to. Not because I have to explain them, mind you, but gothic, symphonic, and filk genres aren't exactly mainstream here in the US of A. If you say gothic, folks will probably assume they know what you're talking about; but Evanescence isn't gothic, just have some gothic influence.

Not that SJ "Sooj" Tucker seems to identify herself as a filk singer, but she associates with singers who do, and she fits my personal definition of filk: speculative fiction folk music. "Neptune" is a remarkable example, because it uses the fantasy as an analogy and to shape the music.

The narrator of "Neptune" has buried her own dreams and self beneath her lover's will, and she's realized she's drowning beneath her "Neptune" (Roman sea god) and is forcing herself to escape. It hurts like the dickens now, but she knows "there's no light" where she is. "Someday, they will ask [her]" about her old "lord of the deep", and she'll be able to admit "she knew him once", probably with a shrug.

Sooj also says that "All of us who dare to love are brave," I think because to love is to risk drowning in your own Neptune.

To go along with the Neptune theme, the music has the sounds of ocean waves and whalesong in it (that were actually produced through happy accidents that happened while recording, per the singer's blog). The music itself even ebbs and flows in tempo and sound, intentionally by feel and not any set tempo. The song uses all sorts of uncommon percussion instruments, as well as the guitar and cello (which I know are strings).

Sooj's voice reminds me of Carly Smithson of We Are the Fallen, but that's not quite it. At any rate, Sooj voice is smooth, soothing, and clear, without obvious vibrato. It's pleasant. (Assuming you like female vocalists with that vocal style.) Her voice melds with both the lyrics and the music, never sounding like she was trying too hard or not hard enough.

Overall, I think it's a remarkable song about how even a willingly submissive relationship can go south, that still speaks to listeners who are healing from a painful breakup. I've never had a boyfriend, and I find it touching. (On second thought, it's a good thing I haven't experienced most of the things I enjoy hearing recovery songs about.)

Still, as of this writing, you can meander over to the artist's site for a listen. You should be able to enjoy something about it, even if only that the ocean wave sound came from Sooj lightly running her fingers over a specific instrument.

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Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 5/5
Vocal(s): 5/5
Overall: 10/10