A Country Gal Comes to Town : Juice Newton’s Pure Genius: Squeezing the Most Out of Strong Songs

“You have to understand that I started making records around the time the Eagles were very popular--and what kind of music is that ?” asked singer Juice Newton, who comes to the Crazy Horse Steak House in Santa Ana on Monday.

Trying to categorize what she does, Newton ran through the labels that have been applied to her music.

“Folk-rock? Country-rock? Soft-rock? Pop music? I don’t know. But whatever you want to call it, it’s what I do best,” she said.

From the time the woman who was born Judy Kay Newton in Virginia Beach, Va., hit the pop charts in 1981 with a remake of Merilee Rush’s “Angel of the Morning,” she has been one of the most consistent female hit makers in country music, often

‘I always look for a couple things: the lyrical content and the melody. I think you have to be able to relate emotionally to the melody or else, you won’t really connect.’

without spending a lot of time courting that format.

Among her other hits that spent equal time on the pop charts: “Queen of Hearts,” “The Sweetest Thing,” “Love’s Been a Little Bit Hard on Me,” “Hurt” and “Break It to Me Gently,” which earned Newton a Grammy in 1983 for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

Though a wide vocal range and an incredibly powerful vocal delivery have come to mark Newton’s style, she believes there is a more basic reason for her success: strong songs. Yet, the former military brat follows no formula when it comes to picking what is going to be on her next record.

“Basically, if we like the songs, we do them,” Newton said matter-of-factly at her Burbank home this week. “I always look for a couple things: the lyrical content and the melody. I think you have to be able to relate emotionally to the melody or else you won’t really connect.

“Beyond that, it’s nice if there’s something that touches me on some emotional level. I think that’s what makes the difference when it comes time to record. And while I like up-tempo songs best, I’ve also done very well with big dramatic ballads.”

So far, it has been an even mix for Newton, who is spending more time on the country charts than on pop these days. But she thinks pop radio will eventually swing back toward the light country-rockabilly sound she favors.

“Our music has stayed the same. If you go back and listen to ‘The Sweetest Thing’ or ‘Angel of the Morning,’ I don’t think it’s radically different from what we’re doing now. Unfortunately, radio’s geared more toward dance-pop right now.”

In the meantime, she has plenty to do balancing her career with her growing family. Newton and husband Tom Goodspeed, a professional polo player and manager of the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, devote their off time tending their baby daughter, Jessica.

Though Newton has no intention of retiring from performing, she is finding that parenthood can change one’s priorities. “It all gets very easy once you make the decision,” Newton explains as Jessica plays in the courtyard outside her kitchen. “Once you make the commitment, everything just falls into place and you start dealing with it.”

Jessica doesn’t seem to be slowing Mom down any. Since having the baby, then suffering a vertebrae-crushing riding accident on one of her hunter-jumpers, Newton has released a new album, “Emotion.” Several singles have placed in the country Top 10, including “First Time Caller,” “Emotion” and a duet with Michael Johnson, “It Must Be You,” which is currently scaling the charts.

Her touring schedule has been nearly as busy.

“I think that the majority of the musicians, singers and players get something additional from the live performance. There’s just something that’s so electric about it that you’ll never get in the studio,” she said.

“When you’re singing like that . . . it’s very tense because I know that something could happen on-stage or in the audience and it’ll startle me. If I’m singing one of those big ballads, it’s just like the bubble’s burst, and it’s not always easy to regain my composure. But, that’s also what makes it challenging.”