''Aces'' is the third studio album by the American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer-songwriter

Suzy Bogguss Susan Kay Bogguss (born December 30, 1956) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She began her career in the 1980s as a solo singer. In the 1990s, six of her songs were Top 10 hits, three albums were certified gold, and one album re ...

, released on August 27, 1991, through

Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revival ...

. The album spawned three Top 10 hits on the country charts – "

Outbound Plane "Outbound Plane" is a song written by American country music artists Nanci Griffith and Tom Russell. It was released on Griffith's 1988 album ''Little Love Affairs''. Suzy Bogguss covered the song as the opening track and the second single from ...

," " 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'' is Bogguss's highest-charting album and has gone on to earn an

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Platinum certification Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

and was nominated for the 1992 CMA "Horizon Award". Following the success of ''Aces'', the

Country Music Association The Country Music Association (CMA) was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre. The objectives of the organization are to guide and enha ...

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 Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...

on her 1981 album, ''

Mistaken Identity Mistaken identity is a defense in criminal law which claims the actual innocence of the criminal defendant, and attempts to undermine evidence of guilt by asserting that any eyewitness to the crime incorrectly thought that they saw the defendan ...

''.

Promotional videos

Two music videos were made to promote the album: "

" and " Letting Go". Both were directed by

Deaton-Flanigen Deaton-Flanigen Productions is an American film company based in Nashville, Tennessee. The company was named after the surnames of founders Robert Deaton III and George Flanigen IV. The two have directed multiple music videos, primarily in the field ...

. 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

Reception

Alanna Nash Alanna Nash is an American journalist and biographer. Born in Louisville, Kentucky in 1950, Nash holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and is the author of several acclaimed books. She is a 1972 graduat ...

of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' 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.." Bryan Buss of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

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."

Personnel

– lead vocals, backing vocals

Additional musicians

Recording staff

*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

Album

Singles

Certifications

RIAA Certification

Release details

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aces 1991 albums Suzy Bogguss albums Liberty Records albums Albums produced by Jimmy Bowen