TAKE FIVE: JUICE NEWTON

By Jerry Fink

Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.

Who: Juice Newton

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday-Sunday

Where: Suncoast

Tickets: $39.95; 636-7271

She's sometimes called "The Queen of Hearts," but it would be more appropriate to call Juice Newton "The Queen of Crossover."

Newton, a 54-year-old native of Lakehurst, N.J., performs Friday through Sunday at the Suncoast.

The crossover queen has made her mark in both the pop and country fields. Her 1981 hit "Queen of Hearts" was big in both, reaching No. 2 on the pop charts and No. 14 on country.

In 1982, Newton was nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Performance-Female for "Angel of the Morning" and Best Country Vocal Performance-Female for "Queen of Hearts." She also was nominated for an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist.

The next year, Newton won a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance-Female for "Break It to Me Gently" and for Best Pop Vocal Performance-Female for "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me."

She had two No. 1 hits in 1982, with "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" and "Break It to Me Gently." Other hits include "Heart of the Night" (1983), "Tell Her No" (1983), "You Want Me to Make You Mine" (1985), "Hurt" (1985) and "Old Flame" (1986).

Newton has sold more than 13 million albums during a career that began in the '70s and has continued to pack rooms with enduring fans.

She hasn't been turning out CDs as often as she did in the past, but the Sun recently spoke to her by phone as she was headed for the studio.

1. "I'm standing in the doorway of the studio right now. We started on a Christmas album that will be out next Christmas. We tried to get it out for (Christmas) but we just kept working and doing other projects. But it will be out by next Christmas."

2. Hard to define, her concerts are exciting and eclectic. She has had hits in country and pop, but started out as a folk singer. And she adds to the mix a little rock and some blues for good measure. "I've been very fortunate. You have to be able to maintain some individual stance in your career. Listeners have to be able to recognize your stuff."

3. She is often heard, but not necessarily seen - at least by the public at large. "We do around 100 public engagements a year, but we also do a lot of private and corporate dates as well. Sometimes we're in Vegas and you don't even know we're there - like a gig for Caterpillar. We do quite a few of those, and that's because we have such a variety of material."

4. Times may have changed, but business is business.

"The business is as tough now as it ever was. Labels have a bottom line and they try to pick artists that can make that bottom line. And artists try to find a label that lets them have their own individual style and taste. "But with the advent of the Internet, people make records all the time now. They can maintain quite an active music career outside of the normal channels nowadays."

5. A career in entertainment isn't for everyone.

"I do quite a bit of traveling, and yeah, I enjoy it as much as before. You really get used to it, but it's not for everybody. Not everybody likes the traveling, but it doesn't bother me."

And not everyone's career will last as long as hers.

"Let them make three albums. If they can make it past three albums, then they've got a chance to have longevity in this business."