A SINGER from Ormiston has released her debut album on her own record label.

Suzanne Butler, 42, released Be Your Own Man on August 28 – her first solo album.

The 11-track album is described as being in the adult contemporary genre without being pinned to a single style; Suzanne says the album is “quite a grown-up, serious album”.

It realises her long-held ambition to “speak for herself” on topics such as female strength, family and independence.

Suzanne’s album was mostly written over the past four years.

Songs on the album feature a guitar band, piano, organ and Suzanne’s signature vocals; however, others lean into Latin rhythm with strings, flute and bass drum.

The album was recorded at Ferndale Studio in the remote Dumfriesshire village of Durisdeer.

Suzanne’s father-in-law Steve Butler, who is also a singer-songwriter and a member of the band Lies Damned Lies, who were signed to the Virgin record label in the 1980s, engineered and co-produced the project, which took the pair two years to complete in between other jobs.

Suzanne was inspired by a wide range of artists, including Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Buckley, Laura Marling and Judee Sill, with Sill’s song The Kiss featuring on the album as a cover.

Suzanne, a mum of two, said: “Music, for me, is a limitless world that I have explored since early childhood.

“With no judgements or preferences on genre or artist, I simply wandered at ease through the various delights of my parent’s eclectic record collection – singing my way (loudly) around the house to The Singing Kettle, Supertramp, Queen, Joni Mitchell’s Blue album and a host of classical masterworks that my mum had cassette-taped from Radio 3!”

She has released two songs from the album so far: her lockdown anthem Too Much Company in June and I Was The First in February.

This year has been a different one than imagined for Suzanne, with planned launch gigs and festival appearances cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Not to be daunted, Suzanne has performed online concerts and is looking forward to playing live with her band as soon as she is allowed.

She said: “My aim for the coming year is to build a solid Scottish following and find my place as a solo artist: for people to play my songs, and find a unique connection with them as they drive, dance, look out of the window, sit with friends.... part of their soundtrack of life.”

The album is available online at suzannebutler.com and can be streamed on all major streaming platforms.