Swing

1	Straighten Up and Fly Right 2:32
2	My Dream Is You 3:09
3	Comes Love 4:06
4	Sweetheart (Waitress in a Donut Shop) 2:40
5	Jumping into Spring 1:57
6	Do Nothing Till You Hear from Me 4:48
7	Burning the Toast 2:51
8	It's Always New to Me 3:32
9	Cupid Shot Us Both With One Arrow / Ray Benson 2:32
10	Picadilly Circus 3:33
11	It's All About You 2:17
12	Stay Out of My Dreams 3:04

Barnes & Noble

Taking a break from the folk-flavored mainstream country she's made her bones with, Suzy Bogguss teams up with Asleep at the Wheel frontman Ray Benson for an easygoing, spirited exploration of cool, swinging jazz with a pop sheen. Benson produces as past and present members of the Wheel shore up the instrumental roster, leaving Bogguss a lot of room to expand the boundaries of her artistry. Those who enjoyed Jane Monheit's expressive contributions to Mark O'Connor's In Full Swing album will hear a kindred spirit in Bogguss, who shows off a flawless facility with lighthearted, up-tempo numbers such as the Nat King Cole evergreen "Straighten Up and Fly Right," a languorous, bluesy touch on Duke Ellington's dreamy "Do Nothing Until You Hear from Me," and an engaging sauciness on a lush, big-band treatment of "It's Always New to Me." Benson himself steps out from behind the board for a spirited duet with Bogguss on the freewheeling "Cupid Shot Us Both with One Arrow," its frenetic pace spiced with a stuttering, Stephane Grappelli–style fiddle solo. Singing free and easy, and with unassailable command throughout, Bogguss sounds right in her element. If mainstream country is losing one of its distinctive stylists, at least the Great American Songbook is gaining another premier interpreter. David McGee

All Music Guide

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

Entertainment Weekly

Utterly charming. (B+) Alanna Nash