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"This is a brilliantly constructed, soulful, and cleverly tender effort by a songwriter and musician who is in such complete command of her gifts that it's almost scary, In a sense it's fair to say that listeners should forget everything they know of Susan Werner and encounter her now, in the fully present articulation of her considerable gifts." Tom Jurek-All Music Guide

"(S.W.) performs a batch of tasty originals in the manner of the Great American Songbook, that compendium of classy/classic songcraft as written by the Gershwins, Cole Porter, Hoagy Carmichael, etc. The best thing about these songs - aside from their high level of craft and quality - is they never come across as "too-too," retro or awkward - they serve to enrich the Great Amer.Songbook tradition instead of merely mimicking it. She pays the genre the BEST kind of tribute: with affection, more than just a dash of irreverence (but not coming across as "too" clever) and never treats it like a museum piece or a hothouse orchid." Mark Keresman-Jazzreview .com

"(S.W.) gives a refreshing contemporary turn to mid-century pop sounds and sentiments." the village voice

"If "I Can't Be New" were another "Great American Songbook" CD, we'd probably hear Susan Werner sincerely following in the footsteps of, say, Ella Fitzgerald or Tony Bennett rather than merely dipping her toes in the voguish wake created by Rod Stewart.  We're likely to hear that collection some day. 
In the meantime Werner has taken a fresh tack.  Instead of rummaging through collections of vintage lyrics in search of worthy material, she has written all the songs that appear on "I Can't Be New," including several delightfully crafty and concise tunes that place classic pop mood-making in a contemporary light.  In fact, if Bennett and k.d. lang ever collaborate in the studio again, they might want to consider some of the tunes here. 
There's certainly a lot of fine material to choose from, whether it's the blues-tinged salolon song "Tall Drink of Water," the bittersweet bossa nova-tinted ballad "I'm Not Sure," the ironic lament "Much at All" or the album's yearning and in some ways emblematic "Maybe if I Sang Cole Porter."  But more than any other song, "Late for the Dance" stands out, partly because the lyrics are as spare as they are poignant, and partly because Werner's classically trained voice never sounds more soulful.  As for the uncluttered arrangements, they balance Werner's folk-pop leanings with a cabaret-like intimacy that serves the singer and her songs well. "
Mike Joyce

"She conquers the cabaret jazz/pop scene with sublime originals that sound like Great American Songbook classics" Philadelphia Daily News