Susan Cowsill

Susan Cowsill

Susan Cowsill took decades to reconcile childhood fame in the Cowsills with an adult solo career, but that journey was secondary to the fine character of her 2005 debut, Just Believe It. A longtime resident of New Orleans, Cowsill suffered more than just house damage in Hurricane Katrina: Her older brother Barry went missing – his body finally found months later. Shortly afterward, their brother Bill died. Lighthouse feels light-years from Just Believe It, equal parts catharsis and reconciliation from Katrina to the jubilation of a Super Bowl championship for the New Orleans Saints. "Dragon Flys," "Sweet Bitter End," and a cover of Jimmy Webb's "Galveston" are tender reminders of Cowsill's pure pop youth, while "Avenue of the Indians" (with guest Jackson Browne) and "ONOLA" are paeans to the roots she's put down living in the Crescent City. The spotlight of Lighthouse is on "River of Love," written by Barry Cowsill and rendered with lump-in-the-throat joy. "Maybe it's true you've gone away, but I'll be waiting by the river of love," she sings with such abandon you can't help but join her celebration of life that also includes brothers Bob, Paul, and John Cowsill, and husband Russ Broussard, who keeps the beat of Cowsill's other life as steady as her music. And although her music is expansive enough to appeal across the boards, Susan Cowsill belongs to the generations of listeners she imprinted during childhood. That's a tough one to shake, but it's also the sweetest of bonds.