Customer Reviews

Something Up My Sleeve

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Susy has the purest voice in country music. So many country artists are just a little fatiguing to listen to, their voice is so close but just not quite on, and you almost can't wait for the last song on the album to finish. With Susy, you will put it back on for another play, every note is nailed and natural! It is like listening to a birds song, she was meant to sing!

Bob

I really like Suzy Bogguss because she's not afraid to sound country. I bought this CD for "Just Like The Weather", but I absolutely love every song on this CD. Of course "Hey Cinderella" is pretty well known; and my personal B-side favorite here is "You Wouldn't Say That To A Stranger." Good buy if you like mid-90's country.

What can you say? Suzy has a very soothing voice (she can sing me to sleep anytime) not whiney or raspy like some country females singers of today. Something Up My Sleeve is one of her best CD's. I could go the list and break down every song for you. But, your best bet is go to the song samples for this CD and listen for yourself.

Suzy never achieved the level of success that I had expected and hoped for, but she had a fairly successful career as a contemporary country singer of the nineties. This album, from 1993, is fairly typical. I must point out that the UK edition features two tracks not included on the standard USA edition - Take it to the limit (from the Eagles tribute, Common thread) and Take it like a man (from Suzy's debut album, Somewhere between). Although they are welcome additions, both can be found elsewhere so don't worry about which edition you buy. The remainder of my review applies to both editions.

The tracks here are all ballads - some slow, some mid-tempo - written by some of the finest songwriters of the time including Matraca Berg, Gary Harrison, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Gretchen Peters, Suzy and her husband, Doug Crider. The opening track, Diamonds and tears is a wistful song about broken dreams. The title track, which closes the album, is a duet with Billy Dean, another country singer who had some success in the nineties without becoming a major star. In between there are many wonderful songs, notably Just like the weather (written by Suzy and Doug), Hey Cinderella (written by Suzy, Matraca and Gary) and Souvenirs (written by Gretchen).

One of many excellent albums recorded by Suzy, every fan of nineties country music is likely to enjoy this.

I have every album from Suzy's career except the first one. She is the best contemporary sounding country singer out there. Out of all of her albums, this is the one that gets the most play. I think the songs are all outstanding here. The standout song here is "Diamonds And Tears" which unfortunately didn't become a single. "Souvenirs", another top notch song is probably my favorite on the album. If you want something from Suzy, get this album and her "Greatest Hits" and you will have everything you'll ever need from Suzy.

This album is perfect for lonely, rainy days. Suzy has such a beautiful voice, and she shows a feminine vulnerability in her songs. The album reminds one of the importance of love, and the constant compromises that must be made to keep the one who loves you in your life. It's a folksy, country, good album.

This is one of her best!! Lots of beautiful ballads accentuated by the crystal clear beauty of Suzy's voice with tasteful and not overdone arrangements. Suzy is an artist whose songs are catchy...there's something about the songs that make you remember them...like "Just Like the Weather" and "Hey Cinderella". I love "Souveniers"! One comes to expect quality when you hear a Suzy Bogguss CD and she never disappoints. She never compromised either.....which is the reason she's not a megastar like the whiny, overblown McBride, McEntire or Hill. Suzy's music is very underrated and beautiful! This CD is a great example!

This is a rare find- I enjoy every song on this cd, everytime I play it. Insightful lyrics covering a wide range of human emotion and experiences, and all sung so beautifully.

I'm writing this review mostly in reaction to the earlier review that described the song "Souvenirs" as boring. What? From first listen, that track was my favorite on this disc. It subtlely compares relationships that have come and gone to collecting vacation memorabilia -- not a bad conceit at all -- and its melody has the feel of a gentle tide (or, to be less esoteric, it sounds a lot like Shenandoah's major hit "Sunday in the South"). I love this track and would recommend searching out this CD for it alone, given that it was not included on any American compilation releases. Other favorites here include "Hey Cinderella," "Something Up My Sleeve" (which was done better live by Suzy and Billy Dean on the ACM Awards in 1993) and the exquisite "Diamonds and Tears". Side note: I will never, ever understand why Capitol released "You Wouldn't Say That to a Stranger" as Suzy's third single from this album. It was a tedious song that killed her career just as it was poised to skyrocket. The title track would have been a much better choice for garnering heavy radio airplay.

Good gal ... croons out her soul at this stuff ... Music for blue hours in the backyard in Ohio ...