‘Shake The Love Around’ was the end of a mealtime blessing in rural Saskatchewan where Suzie Vinnick grew up – everyone around the table shook hands before digging in. She said she wanted use that analogy to do an album of happy songs as an antidote to the darkness in the world. The sense of community is also evident in the songs here, as many of them are collaborations, a method of songwriting that is yielding very good results. And indeed, she continues to be a much sought after collaborator herself. The vibe extends to the band as well, with Mark Lalama as co-producer and keyboard ace, Gary Craig on drums and Suzie handling all the guitars & bass. “Happy As Hell” opens, written with Dean McTaggert, is a solid blues, she sings she’s ‘got no reason to bitch & moan (but I do sometimes)’. There’s an excellent guitar solo and guest Johnnie Johnson adds his saxes, a great way to start. Close behind is “Lean Into The Light”, written with David Leask, who contributes backing vocals. Johnson’s saxes are a treat, as is Suzie’s guitar solo. “Watch Me” is a co-write with Treasa Levasseur. This rocking blues rather emphatically says don’t try to predict what I’m going to do. Percy Mayfield’s “Danger Zone” is solo feature, just Suzie over her electric bass – very effective. Suzie wrote “Find Some Freedom” by herself and it’s a gently rocking anthem with a gorgeous melody & lyrics, a spot-on guitar solo and a male chorus – it’s a good one. “All I Wanna Do” is a co-write with Steve Strongman, a good time rocker with a great hook and Johnson on sax & clarinet. Suzie has never been only a blues singer, all those MBAs notwithstanding and John Fogerty’s “A Hundred And Ten In The Shade” deserves mention, a ballad about life in the south with some fine work on several guitars from Suzie. “Cry Me A River” is a co-write with Blair Packham with guest Colin Linden on guitar. Kent Theaker’s “Creaking Pines” and the concluding “Drift Away”, written with Matt Andersen, round out a superbly sequenced program. The album release celebrations include a full band performance at Hugh’s Room Live on April 4th and several solo acoustic shows, check out www.suzievinnick.com for details and the lyrics to the songs.