Sure, she had been singing and writing songs all her life - just for fun. Chatting with a friend at a party about a song she'd just written, Suzie sang a few bars. An acquaintance, passing by, stopped to listen. Impressed with Suzie's voice and the originality of the song, he insisted on introducing her to Jay Ferguson. Now a successful music producer and soundtrack composer, Ferguson is known as the lead singer for the bands Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne, and for his 1978 solo hit "Thunder Island." When Suzie sang several of her songs for him, he suggested they record a CD of her material. The two of them went into the studio with seven of Suzie's compositions, and the result was "Good Luck Charm.”

This eclectic mix of musical styles perhaps reflects Plakson's multifaceted personality, her refusal to be pigeonholed into one artistic genre. The songs showcase her vocal range, from soft and sultry to sweet to strong. In addition to her original tunes, there are six covers of songs by Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Cyndi Lauper and others.

• She wrote "The Tennessee Rifle Company” for her family as a tribute to her late father. The song explains how "a little Jewish boy from Philly” came to love country music. It is a heartfelt tale that feels like a modern update to the historical story-songs of Johnny Horton.
• "Flying Into the Flame” starts as a ballad and slowly builds into a full-on rock anthem.
• The steamy "Mother Nature's Daughter” asks to "baptize me, uncivilize me” in a way that sounds straight from the Bayou.
• In the pure-country "Goin' Goin' Gone” the scorned singer rattles off a long list of places she'd rather be than with the "sweet-talking sack of lies” who has done her wrong.

The multitalented Plakson also writes (prose and poetry) and sculpts.

Her philosophy of "Have Art, Will Travel” is evident on her Web site (link below) for examples of her projects.

Suzie Plakson is best known to Star Trek fans as K'Ehleyr, the ill-fated mate of Worf. Suzie also played three other alien roles on TNG, Voyager and Enterprise, and has numerous film and television roles to her credit.

The "Good Luck Charm" is available at the Suzie Plakson Web Site.

[Marc]