Suzy Bogguss has a bit of the devil inside. That’s why the singer, who critics routinely hail as having one of the finest voices in contemporary music, doesn’t often perform in set shows in one venue, such as Branson, Mo., or Nashville, Tenn.
“I’m not good at doing the same thing night after night,” said Bogguss, speaking from her home just outside Nashville. “I am hosting this one Christmas variety show [in Colorado] for two weeks, and I know I’m going to change it up a bit. I have this devil inside of me that makes it hard to do the same thing night after night.”
Perhaps that’s why Bogguss doesn¹t mourn her commercial success of the 1990s, when she won a 1992 Country Music Association award, and released a string of hits including “Outbound Plane,” “Drive South” and “Hey Cinderella.”
“When you’re not part of the commercial world it’s easier, in a way, because you don’t have to be worried about everything you say and do,” says Bogguss, who appears at the Birchmere on Saturday. “But I still want people to know I’m out there, still making music. That’s hard to get across when you’re not part of the mainstream machine.”
Harder, still, when you’ve been pigeonholed into a category, such as country.
Take Bogguss’ latest 12-song CD, “Swing,” for example. Bogguss shopped it to various label execs who “kept it a long time and said they love the music but don’t know where to put it. … They tell me ‘You’re a country singer.’ ”
Too bad, because even non-country critics recognize her talent.
“When you sit back and listen to a Suzy Bogguss song or complete album, you really have to wonder why she is not one of the mega-huge stars in this day in time,” one critic said on About.com, echoing others in a variety of music-industry publications.
For now, Bogguss will continue to release her own music in various ways, including via her latest East Coast tour.
Accompanying Bogguss will be well-known musician, singer and producer Harry Stinson, who has recorded with everyone from Clint Black to Bob Seger.
“I was so lucky to catch him at a time when he wasn’t working,” Bogguss said of the tour. “I still don’t have a new album, but I want to tell everyone I’m bringing them a treat. It’s Harry.”
IF YOU GO
Suzy Bogguss appears at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
Venue: The Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.
Tickets: $29.50
More info: 202-265-0930
