04 May
Archive for May, 2008
02 May
100 Greatest Women, #65: Suzy Bogguss
100 Greatest Women#65
Suzy Bogguss
In the liner notes of her debut album, the legendary Chet Atkins wrote that “her voice sparkles like crystal water.” An apt description of Suzy Bogguss indeed. Her pure and clear voice has s always been a perfect fit for a wide range of material, whether she’s singing old Western songs or modern-day swing.
Bogguss was barely out of college when she started to follow her muse. With a group of friends, she spent the summer after her graduation criss-crossing the country with an amp and a guitar, going into random clubs and asking if she could play for the night in exchange for enough cash to cover expenses.
The novelty wore off quickly for her friends, who went back home when the summer was over, but Bogguss persevered. She recorded an LP to sell at her shows, and soon became a regular on the midwest coffeehouse circuit.
When she finally got up the gumption to move to Nashville, she put together a demo cassette. She got her big break when she landed a performance slot at a new theme park in 1986 - Dollywood. A label executive from Capitol Records caught her show, bought her cassette and offered her a contract.
One of her first singles was a cover of “I Wanna Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart”, which found the young singer bringing the yodel back to country radio, or at least to the small handful of stations that played it. When her next single “Somewhere Between” cracked the top 40, she was given the go ahead to record a full-length album of the same name. Strong critical acclaim followed, along with her first real hit, “Cross My Broken Heart.” In the spring of 1989, the ACM named her Top New Female Vocalist.
Her second album was a big setback, as Under the Gun produced two low-charting singles and mediocre reviews. But she found her voice the next time out. After a duet with Lee Greenwood on “Hopelessly Yours” went to #12, her cover of “Someday Soon” matched that mark. That lead single from Aces helped launch her only platinum album to date, and after she scored top ten hits with “Outbound Plane” and “Aces”, she won the 1992 CMA Horizon Award, defeating a field that included Trisha Yearwood, Brooks & Dunn, Pam Tillis and Billy Dean.
The label was in a rush to capitalize on that win, so she quickly recorded a follow-up album, Voices in the Wind. It was slapped together so quickly that they tacked on the fourth single from Aces, “Letting Go”, rather than launch with a new single. Still, that album went gold, thanks to the big hit “Drive South”, which remains her highest charting single to date.
Bogguss released one of her best albums, Something Up My Sleeve, in 1993. It showcased her writing more than previous efforts, and produced a pair of top ten singles. Of those two, “Hey Cinderella” became one of her signature songs. Her cover of “Take it to the Limit” on the Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles tribute album earned her another CMA award, as she shared the honor for Album of the Year.
After an interesting side project with Chet Akins (Simpatico), she took two years off to begin raising a family. When she returned to the country market in 1996 with Give Me Some Wheels, the scene had changed and she had lost her slot at country radio. After another album with Capitol in 1998, she parted ways with the label.
As she switched to the independent scene, she took more liberties with her music. In 2003, she released on of her best-reviewed albums ever, Swing. Produced by Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel, the album was a top ten jazz hit. In recent years, Bogguss has been teaming up with Matraca Berg and Gretchen Peters for what they call the “Wine, Women and Song” tour, playing to enthusiastic audiences across the United States and England. In 2007, her Sweet Danger project was also a jazz hit, peaking at #4 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. She is currently planning a new album, which will be the second release for her personally owned label, Loyal Duchess Records.
Suzy Bogguss
Essential Singles
- “Someday Soon”, 1991
- “Outbound Plane”, 1992
- “Aces”, 1992
- “Letting Go”, 1992
- “Drive South”, 1992
- “Hey Cinderella”, 1993
Essential Albums
- Somewhere Between (1989)
- Aces (1991)
- Something Up My Sleeve (1993)
- Swing (2003)
Industry Awards
- ACM Top New Female Vocalist, 1989
- CMA Horizon Award, 1992
- CMA Album of the Year: Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles, 1994
01 May
Review: Chris Cagle, “No Love Songs”
Overall, Chris Cagle’s latest single, “No Love Songs”, is a fun song that has an amusing chorus. Moreover, Cagle seems as though he is enjoying himself. It cannot, however, be overlooked that this song has some problems: somewhat silly lyrics and a pointless narrative.
We find the storyteller and a sad guy at a bar. After some drinks, the man suddenly stands up on the bar stool and insists: “…play me something about drinkin’, one about cheatin’, a few about losin’, lyin’ and a-leavin’/Something where somebody did somebody wrong and play it all night long/But don’t play me no love song/Don’t play me no love song.”
The other problem with this song is the choice to speak the verses rather than sing them. In songs such as “Convoy” (C.W. McCall), “I’ll Go On Loving You” (Alan Jackson), “Getcha Some” and “I Wanna Talk About Me” (Toby Keith) and “This Cowboy’s Hat” (Chris LeDoux), among others, the talking adds to the substance of the songs. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine those songs without the narrations. However, in this song, the spoken narration sounds out of place and, ultimately, seems like a random choice.
Written by George Teren & Craig Wiseman
Grade: B
Listen: No Love Songs
Buy: No Love Songs
01 May
Review: Jason Aldean, “Relentless”
Jason Aldean follows up “Laughed Until We Cried” with the mid-tempo title track from his latest album, Relentless.
What I can surmise from the somewhat murky lyrics is that the man in this song is happily resigned to the fact that no matter what he does, this woman’s relentless love seems to capture him. In three verses, he tries to explain that her love is even more relentless than a hazy daydream, waves on a beach and a hurricane: “I can’t outrun it, just keeps comin’/Oh, your love is relentless/I can’t fight it, there’s no hiding/Oh, your love is relentless.”
While this song is not perfect, it is better than the last two singles that Aldean has released. The chorus is forgettable, but the verses are liable to get stuck in your head.
Written by James LeBlanc & John Paul White
Grade: B-
Listen: Relentless
Buy: Relentless
01 May
Review: Brooks & Dunn, “Put A Girl In It”
Brooks & Dunn crank up the electric guitars to offer up a song that will surely appeal to their female fan base. Apparently, a cool truck, a fancy house, lots of money, a day on the water and even a good country song isn’t worth anything if you fail to “put a girl in it.”: “’Til you put a girl in it, you ain’t got nothin’/What’s it all worth without a little lovin’/Put a girl in it, some huggin’ and some kissin’/If your world’s got somethin’ missin’/Just put a girl in it.”
On the surface this catchy enough song is suggesting that life is better with “your woman by your side”, but it is also evident that this song is a pandering attempt to rangle as much female adulation as possible from the predominantly female country music listening demographic.
As ridiculous as these lyrics may be, the song is ultimately fun and Ronnie Dunn’s vocal performance is admirably strong. So, guys, a word of advice from B&D: “If you’re ridin’ in your truck/Put a girl in it/If you’re gonna have a party/Put a girl in it/If you wanna live the good life/Better put a girl in it.”
Written by Ben Hayslip, Rhett Akins & Dallas Davidson
Grade: B
Listen: Put a Girl in It
Buy: Put a Girl in It