Bond girl, Northern Soul pioneer, and smooth jazz singer-songwriter – Susie Vanner is a renaissance woman who in 2024 continues to defy the odds, much like she did at the start of her career; breaking glass ceilings and confounding conceptions.
Following the release of her debut album ‘In These Shoes’ in 2020, Susie garnered a burgeoning audience of young fans on streaming services – something she could have never expected in her early career, achieving a fame that she was denied when she started her music career.
Susie signed a record deal with RCA at the age of 19 (under the name Sue Lynne), recording a handful of singles that became Northern Soul standards – though of course like many Northern Soul vocalists, she was never given the acclaim as a frontline artist she deserved for these hits.
Following this, Susie had a hugely successful acting career, including as a Bond Girl in the 1977 classic The Spy Who Loved Me (known affectionately as Log Cabin Girl), her stardom was cemented, with whirlwind promo tours and junkets – even to this day she is considered royalty in the Bond family.
She now announces a special edition of her album, 'That Kind Of Love' which will be released next month.
‘That Kind of Love’ follows on from and expands upon her debut ‘In These Shoes’ from 2020, and features original, immensely personal songs that are lush, slick slices of Smooth Jazz and delicate, classy pop.
The album was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Kipper Eldridge, and alongside the original tracks written by Susie (and some co-written with Judi Tzuke), the LP features some choice covers (Feel, Robbie Williams ; Earned it, The Weeknd; Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones).
On the musical direction of the album, Susie says:
“With this album, I wanted to retain some of the Jazz flavours from my debut album, but add a more pop sensibility to it. We have some of the best musicians in London playing on this record but having them play on more simple creates a greater depth and musical meaning.”
Her latest single, 'Last Bus', co-written with legendary songwriter Judie Tzuke, captures a wistful, cinematic intimacy. Set against soft jazz tones, Susie’s voice is raw and resonant as she explores missed chances and life’s fleeting moments—a bittersweet memory set to music. It’s a track that draws listeners into its reflective, haunting beauty.
“The big leap for me on this record was writing songs and daring to release them. Some of the new songs are about my past and others about my imagined future. This album has really helped solidify me finding my own voice, building on the great experience I gained making ‘In These Shoes’ and finding my own voice musically.”
Recorded at Abbey Road, the band put together for ‘That Kind of Love’ is veritable menu of performers that have played with a who’s who of British music including Jamie Cullum, Sting, Amy Winehouse, Damon Albarn, Gary Barlow and Katie Melia. The orchestral arrangements were provided by Guy Barker MBE.