Arroyo Grande singer-songwriter Susan Ritchie's new EP, How Many Miles?, is six desperate love-songs-long, 23 minutes of intense emotional turmoil, and absolutely essential listening for fans of soulful blues rock. As Ritchie describes it, it's "a melding of soul and blues mixed with some rock and Americana—think Hall & Oats meets TedeschiTrucks, sprinkled with some Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton, with a dusting of Van Morrison."

It kicks off with "Let This Be Real," a soulful and sexy love song with great guitar work and horn fills.

"You got me down on my knees," Ritchie sings with all the double entendre she can muster. "Please let this be real. All the sweet things you whisper in my ears. Oh, let them be true, not only words I want to hear. You got me down on my knees. Please let this be real."

On "Not Too Late," she's trying to repair a broken love: "Once again, babe, I think you're right. Silence might be the best policy tonight." Then she goes on to sing about "apologizing profusely in bed." Hubba-hubba.

"Meet Me in the Middle" is about the compromises necessary to make love work: "If you meet me in the middle, baby. If we both try just a little. A little give and take, quid pro quo, a little push and pull, the next thing you know we'll be dancing close and slow."

The EP's title track, "How Many Miles?," is a song about learning to forgive: "The time has come, the time to forgive. Time to recognize turning on a dime that's no way to live. Trespasses between us were many and looking back in hindsight to see 20/20."

Ritchie has a gift for lyrics, and her voice is soulful in the same way Susan Tedeschi's and Bonnie Raitt's voices are—soaring yet down to earth.

The Americana track "That Ain't Love" is about being blinded by love and not seeing the truth of a damaged relationship, and the EP closer, "Cloudy Day," is a bluesy slow burning ballad about a cheating partner.

"I used to be your Bonnie and you were my Clyde. We picked up trouble and took trouble for a ride. I guess you're not one for settling down. You're just an old fool chasing skirts all over town."

As Ma Rainey said, "They hear it come out, but they don't know how it got there. They don't understand that's life's way of talking. You don't sing it to feel better. You sing 'cause that's a way of understanding life." On How Many Miles?, Ritchie has painted love in all its incarnations.

See the Susan Ritchie Band when they release her new EP on Thursday, July 7, at The Siren (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). The record was produced and recorded by Rob Vermeulen at Robbo Music in Morro Bay, with performances by saxophone player Scott Martin of the band WAR. Her band includes Vermeulen (bass), Daryl VanDruff (drums), Jacob Odell (guitar), and Wayne Walcoff (keys).

Also at The Siren...

The Morro Bay nightclub has a killer schedule cooked up for the holiday weekend. Good Medicine and Numbskull bring you the Hot Damn Summer Tour with reggae and hip-hop act Through the Roots and opener Likkle Jordee on Thursday, June 30, at The Siren (7 p.m.; 21-and-older; $18 presale at eventbrite.com or $29 day of show). If you like Cali reggae/rock, Hawaiian Islands reggae, electronic sounds, and modern pop mixed together, this is your show.

Sugarhill Slim plays The Siren on Tuesday, July 2 (8 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). He draws inspiration from "no holds barred blues artists like Papa George Lightfoot, William Clarke, and James Cotton as well as '70s glam rock like Bowie, Iggy Pop, and T. Rex," according to his bio. His onstage mantra is "Don't hold back, baby!"

Greasy Dashiki make their debut at The Siren on Wednesday, July 3 (7:30 p.m.; 21-and-older; free). The self-described "hippie-hipsters" say they blend "elements of soul, reggae, blues, and pop" to create "a singular, groove-oriented and catchy sound." Even though this band is brand new, the music partnership of its two principal members—David Rasner and John Lacy—goes back 30 years. They say this band is a way "to sum up their incredibly eclectic musical tastes and strange, Dadaist sense of humor."

Straight-up country

"Momma put a little whiskey in my bottle. Daddy put a little work hard in my boots. No matter how hard I hit the throttle, I'm still tangled up in these roots," sings Shawna Thompson on her and her husband Keifer's new single "Country In My Soul."

Together, they're Thompson Square, one of Nashville's hottest acts that Numbskull and Good Medicine are bringing to BarrelHouse Brewing on Saturday, July 2 (7 p.m.; all ages; $27 presale at tickets.goodmedicinepresents.com or $30 day of show).

The song goes on: "I'm talking Alabama with a red bandana. Coastline to coastline, no matter which way the crow flies. 'Cause I got grit, I got drawl, I love Jesus and my dog. I like butter on my biscuits and the sound of backyard crickets. Muddy Waters, fields of gold, it's my heart and it's my home. I got soul in my country, and I got country in my soul."

Lalalalove is all you need

Jason Mraz brings his feel-good blue-eyed soul and reggae to the Vina Robles Amphitheatre on Tuesday, July 5 (8 p.m.; $50 to $110.50 plus fees at ticketmaster.com). The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter is touring in support of Lalalalovesongs, his collection of iconic ballads.

"I feel so lalalalucky to share these songs again on this new album," Mraz said in a statement. "Love has been an almost constant theme in my writing, and this record really shines on that, further amplifying the message. Big love to my listeners, and to Atlantic and Rhino for the lovely release!"

He also said, "I lalalalove performing live—especially with my friends, the fantastic foursome that is Raining Jane. We'll be sharing songs throughout my catalog as well as new songs from our upcoming album, currently in progress. Join us. You will lalalalove it."

He's kind of a dodododork, but his music is irresistible.

The Storyteller Tour

The Ethan Tucker Band, Thrive, and Operation Culture play SLO Brew Rock on Friday, July 1, as part of the Storyteller Tour (7 p.m.; all ages; $12 presale at ticketweb.com or $15 day of show). Tucker's acoustic guitar sounds amazing, and his voice is soulful as heck—the perfect accompaniment to his bluesy folk sounds. If you dig G-Love, Michael Franti, and Ben Harper, you'll love this show.

More music ...

See James Garner's Tribute to Johnny Cash this Thursday, June 30, at the Clark Center (7:30 p.m.; $25 to $45 at clarkcenter.org). "For the past 15 years, Garner and his band have faithfully re-created Cash's biggest hits with stunning accuracy in this not-to-be-missed musical event," organizers said. "Enjoy favorites like 'Folsom Prison Blues,' 'Ring of Fire,' 'I Walk the Line,' and more."

The Cliffnotes return to The Savory Palette to deliver a heapin' helpin' of tasty boogie blues on Saturday, July 2 (6:30 to 9:30 p.m.; more info at (805) 772-8388). Cliff Stepp's band has been together 11 years now, and he says, "We're finally hitting our groove!" Δ

Contact Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey at [email protected].