Susannah “Little Sue” Weaver talks cross-alt-country journeying. [COUNTRY-ISH] Susannah “Little Sue” Weaver grew up in West Virginia and, amid the late-’90s No Depression boomlet, was arguably the Portland face of y’allternative. “I’d never heard country until I moved out here,” Weaver says. “I certainly didn’t plan on doing alt-country to make it big. But, listening to the songwriting, country seemed so honest and straightforward.” Her fifth album, Baby Knows Better, to be released the weekend of her 38th birthday (and featuring her 4-year-old son, Vaden, on the cover artwork) certainly doesn’t consign itself to any one sound. Blessed with Weaver’s uniquely gorgeous and utterly distinct vocals—imagine a slightly accented Juliana Hatfield transforming to Emmylou Harris midnote—that allow a deceptively sparse production and hook-drenched songwriting without sacrificing personality, Baby Knows Better successfully transcends genre. Jay Horton/ Willamette Week November 2008