Suzy Bogguss Albums (13)
What The Critics Say
Suzy Bogguss issued her fine Swing album in 2003. Other than a Christmas recording -- why does every artist feel the need to issue one of those? -- she hasn't released anything in four years. She's toured hard, written songs, and spent her time and energy conceiving the provocative Sweet Danger. Bogguss may no longer be on the country charts, but perhaps with contemporary country's willingness to embrace other American popular song forms she may end up there yet again. For the listener, it doesn't matter. The reason is simply that Sweet Danger is the finest moment in a long career. Bogguss has undergone a metamorphosis as a musician. It's plainly obvious from the opening moments of the album's opening cut, "The Bus Ride." The big minor-key piano chords, hand percussion, and muted drum kit give way to a tasty acoustic guitar lead and it's all reminiscent of Steely Dan's "Do It Again." The similarity ends there in a sense, because when Bogguss opens her mouth and lets the story begin to fall from her, it's all her. But the music here owes more to jazz and samba than country -- no matter how hip and inclusive its industry says it is, stuff like this would terrify the production formula-obsessed producers in mainstream Nash Vegas. Her style is inimitable, no matter what she's singing. Unlike most vocalists these days, Bogguss is a singer and a stylist. She takes a lyric and makes it a scenario, a gauzy filmic episode. The shimmering finger-popping groove in "Everything" owes as much to Sergio Mendes as it does to Diane Warren; a button accordion accompanies a piano, acoustic guitars, and restrained but ever-present percussion, floating her tale of romantic ambivalence. Her lines alternate speaker to speaker; tag lines come from the ether. There are some curious selections here, such as a cover of Peter Cetera's monster smash "If You Leave Me Now." While Bogguss does bring something different to the tune, it's not enough to keep you from hearing the original in your head. The self-penned "Baby July" is a candidate for country radio -- again if they have the guts. It's no less commercial than anything by Martina McBride, but it's far subtler as piano, acoustic guitar, sparse percussion, and a brief but tasty lead guitar solo color her voice just the right shade of bright. The production by Jason Miles and Bogguss is wonderful. Most of the album was recorded in New York and finished in Franklin, TN, and there isn't a studio in Nashville that could have handled a record like this with the possible exception of Owen Bradley's back in the day. The album is full of warmth, light, and air. There isn't anything hurried, or compressed in the sound to make it "bigger." There are many quiet surprises, too, such as the upright bass intro to "Chain Lover," a smoky, bluesy opening to a beautiful pop song with gorgeous lyrics by Bogguss and Billy Kirsch. The slippery backbeat (ushered in by the bassline) in the title track offers a breezy love song that has everything in it, expressing what being "overwhelmed" by new love means. There are wily little beats in the middle of the mix and Bogguss' relaxed delivery is sexy -- it's confessional but happy. The dizziness the listener experiences comes from her artful phrasing. Other winners here include a beautifully soulful reading of Beth Nielsen Chapman's "Right Back into the Feeling," the closest thing to a rocker on this disc. It's adult, infectious, and soulful. The other is the closer, a B-3-tinged love song Bogguss wrote with Carson Whitsett and Jon Vezner. Here is the sound that contemporary country music would aspire to if it were sophisticated enough. It's a simple song with a glorious arrangement and lush texture, where the song dictates what the singer offers the listener, not the other way around. Sweet Danger is yet another example of what a true treasure Suzy Bogguss is as a singer, writer, and performer. She is simply timeless in her grace and elegance. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas'
Release Date 9/9/2003
Tracks 12
Label Compadre
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What The Critics Say
On her third self-released album, Suzy Bogguss, one of the finest female vocalists living and working in Nashville, allows one of her many passions to come to the surface on Swing. With Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson in the producer's chair, Bogguss kicks out 12 classy pop, jazz, and swing tunes with a smoking band making a timeless sound. Benson knows the feel of this music inside and out (and brought his violin player, the Stephane Grappelli-inspired Jason Roberts, along for the ride), and Bogguss, whose mom is a big Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald fan, can sing virtually anything -- but has a special affinity for the swing book -- with a twist. There are nuggets of the repertoire here, such as Nat King Cole's "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and Duke Ellington's "Do Nothing 'Til You Hear From Me" as well as "Comes Love" -- closely associated with Billie Holiday -- and the great Ken Burgan tune "Sweetheart." But there's plenty of new material, too; there are five cuts by Nashville songwriter and jazz singer April Barrows, who writes in the Nat King Cole idiom with smart, modern lyrics; inventive melodies; and a wondrous sense of rhythm. Bogguss and husband and songwriter Doug Crider contributed one and Paul Kramer offered a pair. The jump in these tunes is fresh and new; there are no tired Diana Krall readings of the same old tunes here that had been better-recorded long before. The feel is jumping and smooth, such as on "Burning the Toast" by Barrows, in cut time with Roberts and pianist Floyd Domino floating with clarinetist John H.R. Mills against a popping double-bassline by Spencer Starnes and Benson's guitar. Recorded in Austin, TX, Swing feels loose, fancy free, and focused on exploration, bringing the essence of a song out into the idiom in which it was written. "It's New to Me" by Bogguss, Crider, and Kramer has a bluesy truth to it that is underscored by sax and clarinet wafting so warm from the fringes as Domino's right hand fills and comps slip in between lyric and horn arrangement to make the track just shine. The duet with Benson, "Cupid Shot Us Both With One Arrow," features Roberts doing the gypsy swing thing with passion and fervor, yet never takes away the sprightly tempoed tune form the singers. In all, Swing is the strongest Suzy Bogguss record ever -- yes, ever. This is not a novelty record, not some trendy acclimation to the times, but a way of revealing, as she has, the depth and dimension of her artistry in a new way. Hopefully there are some triple-A jazz and Americana radio programmers out there -- as well as a few visionary public-radio DJs -- who will play this slab once or twice. That's all it will take. This is the most elegant pop-jazz record of the year thus far, and it will be tough to beat. Swing will only delight Bogguss' legion of time-honored fans and win her plenty of new ones as well. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Live at Caffe Milano'
Release Date 7/31/2001
Tracks 12
Label Loyal Dutchess
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What The Critics Say
Award-winning singer Suzy Bogguss has been gifted with a truly beautiful voice, just right for country music -- or any kind of ballad, really. On this 1999 album, It's a Perfect Day, that pristine voice of hers shines through with touching songs that are good for both the heart and soul, like "Love Is Stronger," "An Empty Heart and a Harvest Moon," "Goodnight," and "Look What Love Has Done to Me." On this emotional recording, Bogguss combines her vocal and songwriting talents to offer country fans an album that is sure to go on their keeper shelf, probably next to others by this artist. She also brought in some pretty impressive help for this recording, such as her husband, songwriter and producer Doug Crider, singer T. Graham Brown (who does a duet with her), Carolyn Dawn Johnson and Alison Krauss (who add a little sweet backing harmonies), and many other top musicians. If you really love this album, be sure to check out a few others by singers such as Alison Krauss, Martina McBride, Mary Chapin Carpenter, and a new rising star compared to the others, Cyndi Thomson. ~ Charlotte Dillon, All Music Guide
'Nobody Love, Nobody Gets Hurt'
Release Date 6/2/1998
Tracks 11
Label Liberty
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What The Critics Say
Suzy Bogguss runs the gamut as far as the material she elected to use on this project is concerned, from great tunes by Cheryl Wheeler, Bobbie Cryner, and Julie Miller to run-of-the mill country-pop songs...Bogguss seems to come to life on a tune she co-wrote with Matraca Berg and husband Doug Crider called "Somebody to Love." She also exhibits a little fire on "Take Me Back," the Julie Miller tune that stands out because of its bluegrass charm. Assisted along the way by friends Patty Loveless, Trisha Yearwood, Alison Krauss, Kathy Mattea, Harry Stinson and guitarman Dan Dugmore, this should have been a landmark recording for the likable singer who thrilled fans when she worked with cowboy bard Michael Martin Murphy and Nashville legend Chet Atkins. ~ Jana Pendragon, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
In the three years between the release of Suzy Bogguss' fourth studio album of new material, Something Up My Sleeve, and her fifth, Give Me Some Wheels, she released a greatest-hits album and a duet album with Chet Atkins (Simpatico); her record company, Liberty, was reconfigured into Capitol Nashville; and she took time out to start a family. None of those factors may be as important as the sheer passage of time for an artist who had achieved a moderate level of success in a New Traditionalist vein and now faces a tough post-Garth country music environment defined by a new crop of female singers. Give Me Some Wheels is a sturdy album of well-performed, consistently written country songs. The title track, which Bogguss co-wrote with Matraca Berg and Gary Harrison, is a satisfying statement of purpose, and the album's second single, "No Way Out," is a pleasing uptempo love song. But neither became hits ("She Said, He Heard" would have made a better single choice), and the album was a commercial disappointment. If it had been released two years earlier, it probably would have done better, but coming back to a new climate in Nashville, Bogguss needed to make a bolder or more accomplished album than this to keep from losing ground. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Simpatico is a laid-back, charming duet album with Chet Atkins. The duo covers a lot of ground, beginning with Jimmy Rogers' "In the Jailhouse Now," and running through Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," and playing a couple of nice, understated originals. Although it isn't a strict country record -- there are quite a few pop flourishes scattered throughout -- it's a charmingly low-key listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Something Up My Sleeve'
Release Date 1/1/1993
Tracks 10
Label Liberty
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What The Critics Say
Something up My Sleeve is one of Suzy Bogguss' finest and most consistent albums. Exercising her crystal-clear vocals in ways she hadn't heretofore, she touches the heart in the most earnest way, whether it's the simplicity of "Diamonds and Tears," the skewering of America in "Souvenirs," or the hopelessness of "Something up My Sleeve." Always a step ahead of her peers, Bogguss also always has a firm foot embedded in her roots, and she has a knack for straddling both contemporary and classic country so that they mesh seamlessly. She employs some A-list female writers and vocalists on this album; Matraca Berg, Martina McBride, and Beth Nielsen Chapman all make contributions, showing how respected she is as an artist. With a keen eye on contemporary society ("Hey Cinderella") or an accusing "You Wouldn't Say That to a Stranger," Bogguss puts young upstarts to shame. ~ Bryan Buss, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This sounded like one of those white-bread pop albums folks occasionally try to pawn off as country -- until you started listening to the lyrics. Voices in the Wind may have been bigger on string sections than twin fiddlers, but Bogguss' choice in covers remained just off-center enough to be exciting, with Cheryl Wheeler's "Don't Wanna" and Lowell George's "Heartache." She revived John Hiatt's "Drive South" for a hit. The more risky material -- especially the bleary-eyed blues of "Eat at Joe's" and the troubled alcoholic haze of Bogguss' own "In the Day" -- shows why the Country Music Association gave her its Horizon Award just before the release of this album. ~ Brian Mansfield, All Music Guide
