Judith Owen’s “Suit Yourself,” released April 24, 2026 via Twanky Records, arrives as a confident continuation of the vocalist’s acclaimed journey through jazz, blues and big band traditions. Recorded at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans, the album brings together Owen’s flair for reinvention, her deep affection for overlooked genre gems and her unmistakable personality as a singer, arranger and bandleader.
The record draws from several sides of Owen’s recent creative life. It carries the swagger of “Come On and Get It,” the big band energy of 2024’s “Judith Owen Swings Christmas,” the stage-tested vitality of “Comes Alive” and the emotional intensity of her own songwriting. That mixture gives “Suit Yourself” its central identity: a wide-ranging but unified album that moves between jazz elegance, blues grit, gospel warmth and orchestral swing without losing Owen’s distinctive voice.
The track list highlights both interpretation and collaboration. Owen takes on songs associated with major figures, including Aretha Franklin’s “Evil Gal Blues,” Nellie Lutcher’s “For You My Love” and Etta James’s “Since I Fell For You.” “Today I Sing The Blues” features New Orleans luminary Davell Crawford, while Joe Bonamassa brings guitar fire to “Mind Is On Vacation.” The Tonya Boyd-Cannon Choir joins Owen on the gospel-inflected “Inside Out,” one of the album’s most expansive moments.
Owen is supported by her band the Gentlemen Callers, featuring David Torkanowsky on piano, Kevin Louis on cornet and trumpet, Ken Warshawsky on double bass, Grammy-winning artist and producer Jamison Ross on drums, David Blenkhorn on guitar and Ricardo Pascal on sax. The JO Big Band also appears on key tracks including “Moanin’” and “Evil Gal Blues.” Produced by Owen, with “Inside Out” co-produced by Owen and Ross, and mastered and engineered in New Orleans by Grammy winners Misha Kachkachishvili and John Fiachbach, “Suit Yourself” is a polished, passionate and deeply New Orleans-rooted album.