May 28, 2018:  Susan Hodgdon is in love with Cole Porter. And after listening to her new album, “So in Love with Cole,” many people will fall in love with Ms. Hodgdon. Backed by arranger Daryl Kojak on piano, Steven Frieder on tenor sax, Sean Conly on bass and Dwayne Cook Broadnaz on drums, Hodgdon sings a selection of Porter songs that range from the tongue-in-cheek “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” to the debonaire “I Love Paris” to the heartbreaking “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.” In each song, band and singer work together so seamlessly at times they seem to be talking to each other. Hodgdon has clearly taken pains to perfect her art. She sings each note with a carillon clarity. Her articulation is perfect. She gives every word of Porter’s wise and witty lyrics its due respect. This is especially delicious in songs like “Let’s Do It (Let’s Fall in Love)”: “Some Argentines without means do it/People say in Boston even beans do it/Let’s do it/Let’s fall in love.” As for “Miss Otis Regrets,” Hodgdon’s sly sincerity emphasizes Porter’s sophisticated restraint. This same sincerity contrasts nicely with the band’s bluesy “What Is This Thing Called Love.” Although Hodgdon has been performing one-woman shows in New York City over the past six years, and her CD “I Could Go on Singing: Susan Hodgdon Sings the Songs of Judy Garland” was recorded live at Don’t Tell Mama, “So in Love with Cole” is her first studio CD. Perhaps this is why Hodgdon is just a little too careful. Good performers do everything right. But great performers take risks. Like Porter’s “courageous kangaroos,” Hodgdon has to do it.” - Paulanne Simmons

theaterlife.com

Susan Hodgdon has a passion for singing the American Songbook and performs one-woman shows at New York City clubs. Her second CD pays tribute to one of the greatest songwriters of the 20thCentury, Cole Porter, known for both his music and lyrics. As she opens with “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To,” Hodgdon’s voice is immediately appealing and magnetic. She tackles the pleasing repertoire of hits with contagious energy and without too many interpretive twists. Her accompaniment includes piano (Daryl Kojak), tenor sax (Steven Frieder), bass (Sean Conly) and drums (Dwayne Cook Broadnax). They’re exciting, lyrical players who impart emotional electricity. Hodgdon and company give us a gripping performance from start to finish. Closing with “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye,” Hodgdon’s incandescent vocals pull off this Cole Porter tribute with aplomb.  (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)        ” - Joe Ross

rootsmusicreport.com

NYC-based vocalist Susan Hodgdon gives us a hint of her shows on this album that is a tribute to the Cole Porter songbook. She teams her comfy voice with Daryl Kojak/p, Steven Frieder/ts, Sean Conly/b and Dwayne Cook Broadnax/dr for seventeen selections, some of which give surprises. She slows down “It’s All Right With Me” and comes of resigned, while giving a fun rumba with Frieder’s tenor for “Why Can’t You Behave.” The team flows easily with deliberation on “In the Still of the Night” and gets jazzy on a peppy take of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To.” She sings with a twinkle in her eye.” - George W. Harris

Jazz Weekly

excerpts :SUSAN HODGDON - So In Love With Cole, Self -Produced by Susan Hodgdon (v); Daryl Kojak (P); Steven Frieder (ts); Sean Conly (b); Dwayne Cook Broadnax (drums)... can’t go wrong really with a programme consisting of all Cole Porter compositions. With that quality of material half the job is already done for a vocalist. This is Susan’s first studio CD and she dedicates it to her mother who instilled a love of music in her at a very young age. Daryl Kojack was the producer and also functioned as pianist on the session. Susan romps through You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To at a fast lick and slows it down for the following Get Out Of Town. Her voice is very clear and pure, almost operatic in style and delivery at times. From This Moment On is given an uncharacteristically ultra- slow treatment; there is a similar tempo employed for Night And Day. ... She varies the tempi of these familiar songs throughout the programme and obviously loves the music. Kojack deserves credit for some fine jazz piano solos and strong accompaniment all through. Frieder gets plenty of tenor solos along the way and the quartet generally is very supportive. Ms Hodgdon’s pure voice works well on these well -worn standards. - Reviewed by Derek Ansell” - Derek Ansell

jazzviews.net

excerpts"   The album celebrates the work of Cole Porter and the American Songbook. … Hodgdon Presents these songs in a classic jazz cabaret fashion. The songs are very well produced and recorded but there is also a sense you could be listening to these songs in a jazz club located in the artistic sections of New York City. The album gets going with an upbeat swing of ”You`d be so Nice to Come Home To.  Hodgdon sounds confident and sincere and the music is played beautifully. ´Get Out of Town and “It`s All Right with Me” are a slower, late night affair that bleeds with melancholy and solace…. The album contains a total of seventeen tracks and I found the sequential order to be just about perfect. Hodgdon paces out the album`s energy with lively songs, contemplative pieces and much more. I felt there was a lot to consume but Hodgdon made it feel like a performance.  ” - Matt Jensen

divideandconquermusic.com

excerpts"  Susan Hodgdon entered the cabaret room of Don't Tell Mama, sans microphone, sans inhibition. Hodgdon's voice filled the brick room over the live piano with ease as she brushed past the shoulders of the audience and didn't miss a note of If You Feel Like Singing, Sing. Hodgdon's CD Release Show for "I Could Go On Singing: Susan Hodgdon Sings The Songs Of Judy Garland" on September 24th was a tribute to passionate singing and performing. Something must have clicked amongst Hodgdon, musical director Daryl Kojak, director Tanya Moberly, and Bill Zeffiro, who contributed musical arrangements, because the entirely of Hodgdon's show was a runaway success. No tripping or toe-stubbing here.” - Nickolaus Hines

— Applause! Applause!

Review of Susan Hodgdon's CD I Could Go On Singing excerpts: "To perform the songs of Judy Garland, one of America's, dare I say the World's, greatest entertainers in a tribute CD is to tread on ambitious and dangerous ground. It takes a lot of chutzpah taking on Judy Garland but it is with a courageous heart and loving spirit that Susan Hodgdon brings us her first CD. Susan rises to the challenge of capturing the "essence" of Garland. She manages to surpass her gift infusing each song with her own style of newness that may resonate with the listener. … Daryl Kojak, the accompanying musical director, did an amazing job. … Through Susan's interpretations, we experience the songs of Judy Garland in a new light. My personal favorites were: "Alone Together," "What Now My Love," and "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues." This CD needs to be a part of your collection, right next to the ones you have of Liza and Judy herself. "” - George Strum

Applause! Applause!

Excerpts"  March 7, 2012 | By Kevin Scott HallAdd a Comment “On the Bumpy Road to Love” Don’t Tell Mama – February 25 When Susan Hodgdon enters from the back of the room at the start of her new show singing, sans mic, a ballad version of “Silly Love Songs” (Paul & Linda McCartney), touching the shoulders of audience members as she slowly makes her way to the stage, one feels that she’s ready to bare her heart, talking and singing about her bumpy road to love. And so she does… The great Barry Levitt accompanies on piano, giving her just the right amount of support without overshadowing the singer. Director Peter Napolitano appears to have improved her focus and interpretive abilities, as well as her microphone technique. In the end, Hodgdon’s road to love may have been bumpy, but she gives her heart to her audience, and her heart is every bit as big as her voice. And that’s saying something.” - Kevin Scott Hall

— Bistroawards.com