Much like Eden Atwood and the late Susannah McCorkle, Sue Matthews blends cabaret and traditional pop elements into an accessible jazz vocal style. Based in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC, she delivers her material with a clean, crystal-clear, and pretty timbre rather than the rugged, hard-edged delivery associated with Ernestine Anderson or Carmen McRae. Matthews nonetheless swings and infuses her interpretations with considerable blues feeling. Her big, full voice and impressive range prevent the vulnerability she conveys from ever suggesting a waif-like quality. Elements of Ella Fitzgerald’s approach have shaped her singing, particularly the softer, more caressing manner Fitzgerald often brought to ballads, although Matthews does not match Fitzgerald’s forcefulness or grit on uptempo selections. Some listeners compare her to Diane Schuur, yet Schuur concentrates on pre-rock traditional pop while Matthews functions essentially as an improvising jazz singer, though not a purist. Cabaret influences surface in her work, but she avoids the stereotypically campy lyrics favored by certain modern cabaret artists, displaying the same good taste as Atwood and McCorkle in steering clear of cornball material.
Her debut solo album, Love Dances, appeared on the small SIR Records label in 1991. The follow-up SIR release, When You’re Around, arrived in 1993; Matthews co-produced that project with acoustic pianist Stefan Scaggiari. She continued performing in the Washington, DC area and touring Europe, yet issued no further solo albums until the early 2000s. Renata Music released her third solo album, One at a Time, in July 2002. In addition to her solo work, Matthews sings with the Maryland-based group Guys & Doll, whose other members have included Tom McHugh (vocals, banjo, trumpet, kazoo), Bill Matthews (vocals, guitar), Tom Anthony (acoustic bass), and Ethan Hannigan (fiddle). Formed in 1996, Guys & Doll have toured Europe extensively, and their CD Live in Ireland centers on those overseas performances.
