Continuing with his core band and adding some string and horn players as guests,
Joe Cassidy creates another intoxicating series of at once fragile and fleshed-out love songs, embracing a light, soaring approach and meshing a variety of different musical touches. The album is so named due to Cassidy's marriage; the album is dedicated to his wife, while the final song, "I Shall Hear in Heaven," has its lyrics so arranged as to spell out her name with the first letters of each line. Those expecting nothing but sweet "I love you" sentiments will be pleasantly surprised with the lyrical and musical variety -- Cassidy neatly avoids clichés while not seeming to strain in doing so -- despite the sometimes blunt and disturbing images he calls up. Even when singing at his pleasantest or when the strings swirl as on "Ghost on Your Shoulder," he can deliver lyrics like "Lying with your face in the dirt, while all hell breaks loose yonder" -- all while still fitting in with the romantic swoop of
Suite as a whole. Rhythm is again the sometimes quite subtle key to the songs as a whole, as everyone focuses on a central motif and takes it from there, often with hypnotic effect. Lyrically, Cassidy's fascination with the U.S. South steps more to the fore -- there's "Carolina and the Be Bop Revue," the punnily titled and quite fantastic thanks to the strings-and-feedback combination "Louis as Anna" and, but of course, "Deep South." The band as a whole continues to be excellent interpreters of Cassidy's work, ranging from the ringing guitars from Pendle and Cassidy both on "Flaming Burlesque" (not to mention
Richard Thomas' fine drumming there) to the opening shuffling stomp rhythm of "Towns Come Tumblin'." In sum, another fantastic
Butterfly Child effort.