Tanya Tucker, My Turn
Tanya Tucker, My Turn
Tanya Tucker
My Turn
The gimmick of Tucker’s latest album is that it is composed entirely of covers associated with male artists. The real unifying theme, though, is that it is made up of songs Tucker can’t handle. Even in the ’70s, Tucker didn’t exactly have a great voice; she got across mostly on spunk, youthful power, and on the lyrical audacity of her cold, gothic murder ballads. Most of the songs here, though, are classic honky tonk, and Tucker’s weakened voice simply isn’t up to the task. Where Lefty Frizzell effortlessly elongated the phrases on “I Loved You a Thousand Ways,” for example, Tucker sounds breathless, flat, and amateurish, turning one of country’s smoothest songs into an obstacle course. The backing doesn’t help, either. Especially on the up-tempo numbers, the musicians seem to be trying to compensate for the singer’s failings—or perhaps they just want to keep busy. In any case, the result is overcarbonated, as the band fecklessly dilutes the brilliantly straightforward hooks on tunes like Don Gibson’s classic “Oh, Lonesome Me.”
There are flashes of mediocrity: Jim Lauderdale, for example, turns in an enjoyable Buck Owens impersonation in his guest appearance on “Loves Gonna Live Here.” And Tucker herself sounds almost comfortable on Merle Haggard’s “Ramblin’ Fever,” a shoulder-shrugging ’70s hit closer in spirit to her own classic material. Overall, though, this is a painful outing.
- |
Comments » 1
kathytanya writes:
Noah:
Tanya has a great voice and she is an awesome performer. She has performed some of those songs on TV shows and did a magnificent job. Tanya has been in the business for 37 years and if your unwanted opinion was right, she wouldn't have lasted this long.
The only critics that count (and you are not one of them) are her fans and if you read the message boards you will see they love the album and her voice. As long as she wants to record and perform, her fans will buy her albums and attend her concerts.
We hope she will continue to record and perform for many more years.
These new singers, which you probably like, haven't a clue on how to sing a song with feeling and captivate an audience the way she does.
Tanya is a country legend and she will be singing and performing when these new singers are gone and forgotten.
Share your thoughts
Comments are the sole responsibility of the person posting them. You agree not to post comments that are off topic, defamatory, obscene, abusive, threatening or an invasion of privacy. Violators may be banned. Click here for our full user agreement.