Suzy Bogguss

I saw Suzy Bogguss recently and loved every minute. The American country music singer is soft and gentle and sings from the heart. I was mesmerised by her angel like voice throughout her whole live performance. Suzy takes the folk and country genre and makes it softer, slightly slower paced and more of a romance between the audience and her and her band.

"Red River Valley" and "I Started Loving you Again" made the performance magical, she did my favourite songs of her justice and I was not disappointed. Suzy sings from the heart and her voice dictates someone who has been heartbroken but also someone who has been in love for a long period of time. Any one who has experienced love will feel emphasis and emotion towards her performance.

Her eyes meet members of the crowd and she lets her small town personality shine through by telling small jokes between songs and giggling her infectious laugh every so often. Her band complement her hugely with backing vocals and solo instrumentals which make the country genre of her music style come to life.

I was lucky enough to get to see the wonderful country musician Rhett Akins perform in Valdosta a few years ago, and it's not a memory I shall soon forget. Rhett Akins' voice is just so perfectly suited for country music that it's hard not to appreciate the talent he pours in to his music.

Like many country musicians, Rhett was dressed in jeans and a ballcap, and was absolutely wonderful to see perform live.

While seeing him perform, I was lucky enough to see one of the best country songs in the book, "That Ain't My Truck." This rendition was nearly flawless as far as renditions of this song go, but it was made even better by the excitement of the crowd. Not only was the crowd cheering and clapping with Rhett as he sang, they also joined in with the lyrics, which always makes me appreciate a country performance even more. Rhett Akins was obviously having a lot of fun on stage, too, as he crouched down and pointed and gestured with the hand he wasn't holding the microphone with. In addition to this, he made sure to interact with the crowd, prompting them to sing along with him and take over verses or refrains, too.

From the moment that Pam Tillis walked out on stage, it was evident that she was totally at home in front of the huge crowd, and her guitar was simply an extension of herself through which she was expressing her music. Although she’s been performing since the 80s, she hasn’t lost her magic at all, and her incredible talent both on the guitar and vocally, really shone through and reminded everyone in the crowd why she’s achieved so much success. Her country music set journeyed through up beat tracks, as well as the slower ballads, to which she had everyone singing along.

Throughout the show, I think Tillis succeeded in having the crowd on their feet pretty much from start to finish, swaying and dancing along when appropriate. The way that she has so much control over her vocals is amazing, and the trills and improvisations that don’t appear on her recordings were simply magical to hear live. She played a great set, and played all of her hits from over the years, and even let the audience shout out requests for her. Towards the end of the show, she focused on Dos Divas, her newest album, and even revealed that she’s working on new material, which was met with huge applause from the crowd. She’s incredibly talented, and hopefully she’ll keep writing and performing for many years to come.