Suzie McNeil drops new disc

As Suzie McNeil rhymes off a number of classic rock favourites on the title cut of her newly released second album, Rock-n-Roller, the Mississauga-born, Toronto-based singer notices that only a scant few of those favourites were written and performed by women.

“Rock ’n’ roll is definitely a man’s world. That’s part of my struggle as well as part of my everyday journey and it’s not an easy road,” McNeil tells Metro. There’s only a limited number of women holding the torch right now in terms of pop rock. But I grew up listening to a lot of those classics. I love rock because that’s so much of who I am.”

McNeil’s formative performance years included singing with Black Sabbath and ABBA tribute bands along with backing the likes Ronnie Hawkins, Glass Tiger’s Alan Frew and the late Jeff Healey. A move to Los Angeles led to her 2005 appearance on the CBS reality series Rock Star: INXS. While the Aussie group ultimately chose fellow Canadian J.D. Fortune as front man, McNeil’s vocals did make it onto the eventual INXS release, Switch.

 “I did connect with INXS very well,” McNeil says. “I know at one point that Andrew Farriss, one of the group’s main songwriters, really wanted a woman to front the band.”

Her appearance on Rock Star: INXS opened a few more high-profile connections, including touring as backup singer for Pink in 2006 and a vocal cameo alongside Clay Aiken covering Foreigner’s I Want To Know What Love Is on the American Idol runner-up’s effort, A Thousand Different Ways, that same year.

While her 2007 debut, Broken & Beautiful, relied mainly on power-pop and ballads, McNeil maintained her classic rock connection months afterwards by appearing as the character Oz in the Toronto production of We Will Rock You, a musical adapted from the songs of Queen. And while the 32-year-old might cite an opening slot for Aerosmith as one of many career highlights, McNeil can’t say enough of getting a personal compliment from Queen guitarist Brian May.

“On the show’s opening night, after I was finished singing (Bohemian Rhapsody), I came offstage and Brian shows up to give me a huge hug,” McNeil says. “He then said, ‘I cried. I’ve never cried at that song before.’ And this coming from the guy who wrote the song.”

Suzie McNeil plays:
• Toronto - A free afternoon show at First Canadian Place on Nov. 20.