Deemed by NPR as “The Empress of the Unexpected,” Susan Werner has been knocking it out of the park — or concert hall — for more than 20 years. As a charismatic performer, she’s known for challenging herself to conquer new styles every few years. Her creative restlessness has become her defining characteristic, as evidenced by her wide variety of styles and releases: her 1995 folk/rock debut “Last of the Good Straight Girls,” her 2004 collection of Tin Pan Alley-styled originals “I Can’t Be New,” her 2007 agnostic gospel hymnal “The Gospel Truth,” her 2013 tribute to her Iowa farm roots “Hayseed,” and her 2018 Cuban-flavored collection “An American in Havana.” She has performed on NPR’s World Café and NPR’s Mountain Stage, and in Nebraska Educational Television’s 2016 broadcast “The Land Will Outlive Us All,” a one-hour special on Werner, agriculture and her 2015 concert tour across the state. Werner’s songs have been recorded by Tom Jones and Michael Feinstein, as well as Broadway stars Betty Beckley, Christine Ebersole and countless more.