The much-respected West Michigan country singer is back after 11 years with new music and a new band. Plus, Local Spins debuts tracks from Charlie Millard, Yellowhouse and more.
A Heartbreak Album: Dee Sutton’s first recording in more than a decade. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
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The buoyant buzz about singer Dee Sutton’s first studio recording since working with the Midnight Cattle Callers more than a decade ago started long before the project at Grand Rapids’ Goon Lagoon was completed.
So, the West Michigan country swing and Americana artist’s coming-out party for Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys at Tip Top Deluxe Bar & Grill last month was filled with joyful friends, family and supportive familiar faces.
The story behind her captivating and penetrating songs, however, tells a tale of heartbreak, something she describes as her “divorce album.”
Still, releasing new songs and getting back on stage after 11 years has reignited Sutton’s passion for music and inspired her to look ahead to even more recordings.
On Stage: Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys at Tip Top Deluxe. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
“The non-personal answer would be I’ve missed the hell out of it,” she said. “The personal answer would be, yeah, I went through some heartbreak and got divorced and I needed to remind myself what I’m good at — so just going back to the thing I know how to do.”
What Sutton clearly knows how to do is sing with rare resonance while penning tunes that reflect her love of Patsy Cline and vintage country music.
“I just want (audiences) to feel something … whether it’s extreme sadness or if it’s anger or whatever, I just want people to feel something,” she said.
“I would say I kind of put myself in country swing, but then I get some gypsy jazz ideas around in there that you haven’t heard yet. More I guess like Americana country swing. I like the bounce of traditional country.”
VIDEO: Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys, “Let Me Be Your One & Only” (Live)
AN ALL-STAR CAST BEHIND HER AND MORE NEW MUSIC TO COME
To unfurl her new music, Sutton has surrounded herself with an all-star cast of Michigan musicians, aka The Sweet Honeys: standup bassist Sallie Bacon, fiddler Keala Venema (Whorled) and guests such as mandolinist Brian Oberlin (Full Cord), pedal steel guitarists Drew Howard and Justin Wierenga, clarinetist Keith Hudson and drummers Todd Truman and Matt Proach.
“I didn’t have a band when I recorded the album, so you’ll find I have three bass players, and technically three drummers on this album, because I ended up recording the drums and tambourine on ‘Letter to Love,’ ” Sutton said.
“I pulled in friends I thought would be a good fit for the songs: Brian Oberlin, Drew Howard, Justin Wierenga, Andy Wilson, Mike Lynch, Chris Corey, Clint Gitchel Sr., Keith Hudson, Ezekiel Kinney, Seth Sutton, Sallie Bacon, Mitch Wood, Matt Proach and Todd Truman. I’ve never recorded an album without a band before so this was a learning curve, trying to imagine what the song needs without hearing it before we put it on tape.”
She also credited Goon Lagoon studio owner and engineer Tommy Schichtel for guiding her through the process.
A Who’s Who Cast of Players: The band. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
“I was going through some hard times when I recorded this so my self-confidence was pretty low. This was my first solo project as a recording artist, and he created the space to allow for creativity to flow with confidence,” she recalled.
“Sometimes those two concepts don’t happen simultaneously and I will forever be grateful to him for giving me that experience when I needed it the most, and not allowing ego to enter the recording space.”
The resulting album, “Alone Again,” marks just the beginning of Sutton’s revived musical career – a career that included fronting vintage country and rockabilly cover bands two decades ago and performing with alt-country’s Tweed prior to that.
“When it rains it pours. I have about five songs written for the next album and well over 200 song ideas to pull from that I’ve started working on and have yet to finish so hope to start the next recording project this fall or winter,” she said.
“I am really leaning into songwriting at the moment. Every chance I get to sit down without distractions and let it flow, I do.”
But she’s also playing several summer shows with The Wild Honeys, including Aug. 17 at The Dragon Mermaid in Grand Haven, Aug. 22 at Urban Beats in Lansing, Sept. 12 at Horrocks Market in Kentwood and Sept. 20 at Northfield Instruments in Marshall.
“It’s exciting,” she said of performing with her new band. “I’m super happy that they’re playing with me. It’s an honor. It’s great, and we’ve got great chemistry too, and that’s super important.”
For this week’s edition of Local Spins’ Michigan Music Showcase, Sutton spotlighted two songs from the new album — the title track and “You Were the One.”
The July Fourth edition of the Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase — – airing at 11 a.m. Fridays and 5 p.m. Sundays on WYCE (88.1 FM) and online at wyce.org, and on Interlochen Public Radio at 7 p.m. Saturdays – also featured tracks by the Charlie Millard Band, Yellowhouse, Headband Henny, The Druid Drummer, Mike Ward: Psychosongs, Flowers on the Grave, A. Billi Free & The Lasso, The Gasoline Gypsies, The Lucky Nows and Rachael Davis. Listen to the interview and full show below.
PODCAST: Local Spins Michigan Music Showcase (7/4/26)
PHOTO GALLERY: Sweet Dee & The Wild Honeys at Tip Top Deluxe
Photos by Chelsea Whitaker
