Aces is the third studio album by the American country music singer-songwriter Suzy Bogguss, released on August 27, 1991, through Liberty Records. The album spawned three Top 10 hits on the country charts – "Outbound Plane," "Aces" and "Letting Go" – and stayed at No. 1 in album sales and in the top ten on the country charts for five weeks.

Aces
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 27, 1991 (1991-08-27)
RecordedMay 1991
StudioEmerald Sound Studio, Tennessee
GenreNeotraditional Country
Length35:09
LabelLiberty
ProducerSuzy Bogguss
Jimmy Bowen
Suzy Bogguss chronology
Moment of Truth
(1990)
Aces
(1991)
Voices in the Wind
(1992)
Singles from Aces
  1. "Someday Soon"
    Released: September 4, 1991
  2. "Outbound Plane"
    Released: December 1991
  3. "Aces"
    Released: March 1992
  4. "Letting Go"
    Released: July 1992

Aces is Bogguss's highest-charting album and has gone on to earn an RIAA Platinum certification and was nominated for the 1992 CMA "Horizon Award". Following the success of Aces, the Country Music Association recognized Bogguss' achievements in 1992 by giving her its Horizon Award, which is awarded annually to the artist who has demonstrated the most significant creative growth and development.

"Still Hold On" was originally recorded by Kim Carnes on her 1981 album, Mistaken Identity.

Promotional videos

edit

Two music videos were made to promote the album: "Outbound Plane" and "Letting Go". Both were directed by Deaton-Flanigen. The story of "Outbound Plane" depicts life out in a deserted airport featuring Bogguss and her lover as central characters, and "Letting Go" tells the story of a mother remembering her daughter from her early years until she leaves for college.

Track listing

edit
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Outbound Plane"Nanci Griffith, Tom Russell[1]2:52
2."Aces"Cheryl Wheeler3:49
3."Someday Soon"Ian Tyson3:55
4."Let Goodbye Hurt"Ellen Crandell3:15
5."Save Yourself"Beth Nielsen Chapman2:54
6."Yellow River Road"Suzy Bogguss, Doug Crider2:59
7."Part of Me"Tony Arata3:20
8."Letting Go"Crider, Matt Rollings4:33
9."Music on the Wind"Andy Byrd, Victoria Shaw, Jana Stanfield3:25
10."Still Hold On"Kim Carnes, Dave Ellingson, Eric Kaz, Wendy Waldman4:07
Total length:35:09

Reception

edit
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [1]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[2]

Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Aces "challenges the conceit of the stereotypical passive country female, willing to put up with all manner of cantankerous behavior to hold on to a man." She also said that "In one gutsy song after another, Bogguss — whose clear soprano rings without artifice — takes no guff, emerging as a woman and singer of substance.."[2] Bryan Buss of Allmusic stated that Bogguss' "appealing girl-next-door approach, her choice to straddle the fence between contemporary and traditional C&W and her perfectly pitched voice are what helped [Aces] be the catalyst for making her a household name among country music fans."[1]

Personnel

edit

Additional musicians

edit

Recording staff

edit
  • Suzy Bogguss – producer
  • Jimmy Bowen – producer
  • John Guess – engineer
  • Bob Bullock – overdub engineer
  • Tim Kish – overdub engineer
  • Russ Martin – overdub engineer
  • Marty Williams – overdub engineer
  • Glenn Meadows – mastering engineer
  • Milan Bogdan – digital editor
  • Janie West – song selection assistant

Chart performance

edit

Album

edit
Chart (1991) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums 15
U.S. Billboard 200 83
Canadian RPM Country Albums 21

Year-end charts

edit
Chart (1992) Position
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[3] 23

Singles

edit
Year Single Peak positions
US Country CAN Country
1991 "Someday Soon" 12 16
"Outbound Plane" 9 9
1992 "Aces" 9 6
"Letting Go" 6 9

Certifications

edit

RIAA Certification

Cert. Date Country Award
9/14/92 USA Gold
2/17/95 USA Platinum

Release details

edit
Country Date Label Format Catalog
US 1991 Liberty CD C2-95874
CS C4-95874

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Buss, Bryan. "Aces - Suzy Bogguss". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Nash, Alanna (August 23, 1991). "Aces Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
  3. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2021.