Bogguss concert is entertaining despite persistent sound problems

Music Review

A near-capacity crowd at the Maine Center for the Arts was treated to a concert by one of the great young voices in country music, Suzy Bogguss.

For 75 minutes Thursday night at the University of Maine in Orono, Bogguss and her band performed many of her hits and a well-picked selection of cover songs for a generally appreciative audience of all ages.

Bogguss, dressed in a white dress, white jacket with pink sequins and white boots, came on stage 10 minutes late, belting out her rendition of “Someday Soon,” her hit from earlier this year. Bogguss, who has a degree in metalsmithing, was also wearing a silver bracelet of her own design.

She followed that up with “Yellow River Road,” written by Bogguss and her husband, Doug Crider, and the rollicking “Have a Heart.”

Bogguss then slowed down the pace, soloing on “Hopelessly Yours,” her Grammy-nominated duet with Lee Greenwood, and her new single, “Letting Go,” about the feelings her mother and daughter deal with as the daughter prepares to leave for college. She followed that up with her hit “Cross My Broken Heart.”

Bogguss and her band cranked up the tempo for two woman-done-wrong songs, “Love in a Hurricane” and “Save Yourself.”

Other hits Bogguss worked in were the Cheryl Wheeler song “Aces,” the title cut off her current album, and the Nanci Griffith song “Outbound Plane,” for which she donned her trademark hat.

The middle of Bogguss’ set showed off her many influences. She showed off her picking skills on the Dan Fogelberg classic “That Morning Sky.” After a couple bad jokes, Bogguss showed off her yodeling skills on the cowboy song “The Letter.”

Bogguss slid off her jacket and tied on an apron for her hilariously campy, vampy rendition of the bluesy “Eat at Joe’s,” then followed that up with the jazzy “House of Blue Lights.”

During the encore, she performed the Patsy Montana yodeling classic “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart” and “C’mon Baby, Right Now,” from her upcoming fourth album.

The audience was clapping heartily through the second half of the program. Bogguss got capable support from her five-member band, who each got their turns in the spotlight.

One problem affecting some audience members’ enjoyment was the overly loud, murky sound quality, which muffled much of Bogguss’ singing. The sound overpowered the hall. To make matters worse, the bass boomed like a cannon through the sound mix during the concert.

Also, Bogguss, who honed her performing skills on the club circuit, is still learning to use the entire stage, to better reach all parts of the crowd. Although she was a fairly active performer and emoted well, she mostly confined her travels to the middle part of the stage.