Susan Gibson

New Dog, Old Tricks (For the Records)

Writing “Wide Open Spaces” for the Dixie Chicks in 1998 gave Susan Gibson carte blanche into the rough-and-tumble world of songwriting but didn’t guarantee it would be easy. Ten years and three solo albums later, New Dog, Old Tricks balances the Central Texan’s dizzying success with the reality of everyday life, in this case the death of her dog Jezable. Gibson’s decision to (mostly) reinvent songs from her Groobees days is clever and resourceful: Fans from those days will enjoy reworked versions of “Perfect World,” “Cloud 9,” and “Last of His Kind,” alongside the lyrical bite of newer songs such as “Baby Teeth.” Her post-hit fans will appreciate the well-worn edges of “You Came Along,” replete with the fine handiwork of producers Walt Wilkins and Tim Lorsch, but the heart-tugging “Jezable’s Lament” is for anyone who’s ever said goodbye and stumbled over the words.

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This article appears in September 19 • 2008.

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