Columnist Spencer Patterson: Branigan knows value of familiar material

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, July 3, 2003 | 8:37 a.m.

If you're headed to one of Laura Branigan's shows at the Suncoast this weekend, odds are you'll hear a couple of tracks from her upcoming album.

Don't fret. The singer won't play them at the expense of her more familiar material. She can't, if she hopes to exit the stage unscathed at the end of the night.

"I'd get eggs thrown at me if I didn't do 'Self Control,' 'Gloria,' 'How Am I Supposed to Live Without You," Branigan said in a recent telephone interview from her manager's office in North Bergen, N.J. "They start screaming if I don't sing those songs."

Branigan, 46, is best known for her pop success during the early 1980s, a period that saw her release four Top 20 singles, the aforementioned trio along with "Solitaire."

Backed by a six-piece band, she plays a pair of concerts Saturday and Sunday night at the Suncoast Showroom. Tickets are $50.50, $56 and $62.30 for the performances, both of which are slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Ironically, Branigan's highest-charting pop single ever -- 1982's No. 2 hit, "Gloria" -- didn't entirely appeal to the New York native when she initially heard the original, Italian version of the song.

"It wasn't a real American-sounding dance song. It was very European sounding, and it was a hit in non-English-speaking countries in Europe," Branigan said. "My producer brought it to me and I went, 'Hmmm,' because it was so soft and so European sounding.

"But we gave it the American kick and re-wrote the lyrics, and off she went."

Branigan is preparing to release new remixes of "Gloria" and "Self Control" in Europe, and plans to bring them to the U.S. in the coming months.

She is also finishing her first full-length CD since 1993's "Over My Heart." Soon after the release of that album, Branigan put her singing career on hold to care for her husband, Larry Kruteck, who had been diagnosed with colon cancer.

"I just stopped everything to be with him and take care of him and try to find a cure, which I did not," Branigan said.

Kruteck succumbed to the disease in 1996, and Branigan's hiatus from the music scene continued as she mourned his passing. Now she has re-emerged with a new song dedicated to her late husband, titled, "I Know You By Heart."

"It's the most beautiful song you've ever heard. It's about him, and it will rip your heart out," Branigan said.

The song will appear on Branigan's upcoming album, which will be self-released on the singer's in-house label.

"I'm really proud of my new stuff. It's very emotional and it shows off my voice," Branigan said. "I'm always pushing my voice to the edge, and then I kick myself, because then I have to go perform it live every night. But that's kind of what I'm known for."

Quick hits

Las Vegas is home to an eclectic mix of acts for the July 4 weekend. Among them:

R&B singer Raphael Saadiq -- formerly of trio Tony! Toni! Tone! -- plays the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Friday night at 7. The show will be taped for an upcoming live album, which is expected around October. Tickets are $20 and $25.

Latin pop star Janues arrives at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel Friday night at 8. Winner of four Latin Grammy awards, the Columbia native has spent more than 50 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of Billboard's Latin Albums chart with his second CD, "Un Dia Normal." Tickets are $32.50.

Boy band B2K headlines the "Scream Tour Three" pitstop at the Aladdin's Theatre for the Performing Arts Friday night at 7. Also on the bill: Marques Houston, Mario and DJ Jus. Tickets are $45, $55 and $65.

Alt-metal quartet Alien Ant Farm stops by the House of Blues Saturday night at 6:30. The concert will be the band's first since frontman Dryden Mitchell suffered a spinal injury in a bus accident in Spain in May 2002. The band's second album, "truANT," is due in August. Tickets are $12.

Rock 'n' roll legends Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis team up for KOOL 93.1-FM's "Red White & Cool" concert Saturday night at 7 at the Orleans Arena. Tickets range from $23.50 to $93.50.

Guitar virtuoso Ottmat Liebert performs at Boulder Station Saturday night at 8. The flamenco specialist has released more than a dozen albums since 1990, with four reaching the top spot in Billboard's New Age Album charts. Tickets run from $22.50 to $45.50.

Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson takes a break from the Ozzfest tour for a rare club show at the House of Blues Sunday night at 7. Manson released new album "The Golden Age of Grotesque" to mostly positive reviews in May. Tickets are $37.50 and $50 for the all-ages event.

The Huntridge hosts a metal bill featuring Ozzfest second-stagers Cradle of Filth, Shadows Fall, Sworn Enemy and Killswitch Engage Sunday night at 7. Tickets are $22.

On sale

Mexican rock band Cafe Tacuba, which drew rave reviews for its set at April's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, will play the House of Blues on Sept. 5. Tickets are $15 and $25 and go on sale Saturday at noon at the House of Blues box office, at TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 474-4000 or 632-7600 or online at ticketmaster.com or hob.com.

Tickets are on sale now for the Wailers' Aug. 28 show at the House of Blues, priced at $20 and $25.