Residents of the Big Easy were astonished to see snow falling steadily on Christmas Day 2004, the first Christmas snow in half a century and the first snowfall in 15 years in the city. Susan Cowsill, her husband Russ Broussard, and several members of their family took the streetcar to the French Quarter to experience the historical snowfall. "After waiting it out for a few hours, it finally began to snow. Big flakes, too! Not enough to stick on the ground, but plenty on the cars to use for snowball fights. It was an extraordinary day with incredible peace and amazing beauty," Russ remembered, “Then, eight months later, the other extreme and polarity of that experience with Hurricane Katrina and the levees breaking." The poignant "Crescent City Snow" combines all the emotions of those two events.

The song describes:
I feel like a kite without a string
Only my tail to guide me
Just paper and sticks and tattered sheets
Waiting on a friendly wind
Hold all our memories in one hand
So tight that you won't let them go
And in the other hand we pray
That the wind and the panic and the rain
Will all turn to a
Soft and quiet snow

About Susan Cowsill

Just Believe It is Susan Cowsill's first-ever solo album, but you probably already know her.

The singer/songwriter made her initial mark on popular culture at the tender age of eight with The Cowsills, the 60s family pop group that not only scored Top Ten singles The Rain, the Park and Other Things, Hair and We Can Fly but also served as the real-life inspiration for TV's fictional Partridge Family. During Susan’s decade with roots-pop supergroup The Continental Drifters, she won the hearts of discerning listeners with her impassioned vocals and personally-charged songwriting, gracing three widely-acclaimed albums and a decade’s worth of riveting performances. Cowsill's vocal talents have beautifully supported recordings from artists as diverse as Dwight Twilley, Redd Kross, The Smithereens, Giant Sand, Nanci Griffith, Carlene Carter and Jules Shear, while her compositions have been covered by The Bangles and Hootie and the Blowfish.

Cowsill's much-loved prior work can now be viewed as a prelude to the stunning solo achievement of Just Believe It. The collection marks a musical and personal milestone for the artist, embodying the same qualities of musical craft and emotional nuance that distinguished her work with The Continental Drifters, while adding a deeper, more resonant and unmistakably personal edge. The CD features guest appearances by Lucinda Williams on the hauntingly bittersweet "Nanny's Song"; Counting Crows front man Adam Duritz, harmonizing with Cowsill on the upbeat "Palm of My Hand," (also featuring Cowsill's former Drifters bandmate and real-life sister-in-law, Bangle Vicki Peterson) Along with 13 new Cowsill originals, Just Believe It includes a stunning cover of Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention classic "Who Knows Where the Time Goes". The entire CD maintains a solid grounding in the organic honesty of rural folk and the catchy melodicism of '60s pop, while dipping into the fluid R&B grooves of Cowsill's longtime hometown of New Orleans.

This summer Cowsill embarks on her most extensive solo tour to date. Her road-toughened summer combo, including Russ Broussard (Continental Drifters) on drums, Tad Armstrong on bass guitar/vocals and ace guitarist Aaron Stroup (both formerly of Indianapolis-based band Middletown), merges a seamless rock sensibility with an organic sensitivity that echoes the singer’s own.

Hurricane Katrina posed unexpected challenges to New Orleans musicians, including Susan Cowsill. After losing her home and possessions when Katrina destroyed her city, Susan later learned that her beloved brother Barry had lost his life in the storm’s aftermath. Susan’s commitment to New Orleans remains passionate and steadfast, which is evident in her powerful Hurricane Katrina song, Crescent City Snow. According to respected sources in the music industry, this song just may go down in musical history as the most poignant to come out of the catastrophe. Susan does all she can to help maintain national awareness of conditions in New Orleans. She is proud to perform alongside her fellow musicians for the benefit of New Orleans and has contributed her songs to relief effort compilation CDs. Susan Cowsill’s humanitarian efforts also include working against child abuse and actively supporting peaceful causes.

Whether she's delivering a heart-tugging ballad or belting out a punchy rock tune, critics agree that Susan Cowsill has an exceptional talent for connecting with a song's emotional core. Rolling Stone praised Just Believe It as "The hardy, heartbreaking sound of…a bar-band angel…in the prime of her singing and songwriting life." The Washington Post proclaimed "As good as Cowsill’s voice is, her smart, emotional songwriting is her biggest asset." All Music Guide raved "Cowsill has stories to tell and she tells them with a skill and vigor that never lets artifice get in the way of cutting to the emotional truth… Quite simply, debut albums are rarely as moving, as revealing or as accomplished as Just Believe It. This is masterful music from a major talent."

Performing on the song are:
Russ Broussard: drums, percussion, chorus vocals
Chris Knotts: electric guitars
Rob Savoy: bass guitar and chorus vocals
Jonno Frischberg: viola, violin, button accordion
Nicolas Broussard: chorus vocals
Kelly Broussard: chorus vocals
Jeanne Vidrine: chorus vocals
Recorded at Dockside Studios, Maurice, LA
engineered by Steve Reynolds
mixed by Steve, Susan and Russ
Produced by Susan and Russ
EQ and mastering by John Fishbach at Piety Street, New Orleans, LA