Tanya Tucker Albums (30)
What The Critics Say
The turn Tanya Tucker takes on 2009's My Turn, her first album in seven years, is her own distinctive take on 12 country tunes, all popularized by male singers. Tucker isn't quite gender-bending the way Lyle Lovett did when he sang "Stand by Your Man," but rather taking these songs directly, sounding as tough as any guy as she saunters her way through "Crazy Arms" and "Lovesick Blues." While it's true that Pete Anderson's dry, unadorned production gives this muscle and grit, perhaps the most sympathetic setting Tucker has had in decades, the triumph is all Tanya's, as she digs deep into these songs, finding new meaning within them and proving that a great covers album need not reinterpret the sound of a song in order to reinvent it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'Tanya Tucker Live!: You Are So Beautiful'
Release Date 8/22/2006
Tracks 16
Label Compendia
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'Live! You Are So Beautiful'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 16
Label Intersound
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'Live at Billy Bob's Texas'
Release Date 9/13/2005
Tracks 16
Label Smith Music Group
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What The Critics Say
The latest chapter in the Live at Billy Bob's series contains a smoking live date by one of country music's most enduring talents, Tanya Tucker. She's loose, in a fine mood, and in great voice. It includes the hits from the distant past to her most recent work; from "I'll Come Back as Another Woman," "Hangin' On," "Blood Red and Going Down," "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)," "Down to My Last Teardrop," and of course, "Delta Dawn," which she treats with reverence and respect, though at her age (47 in 2005), it takes on an entirely different meaning than when she sang it at 13. Her band is competent though a bit lazy, but Tucker's own performance is spot-on, deep ,resonant, and theatrically astute. This is one for the fans to be sure, and is easily her best live offering. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
On her 30th album, Tanya Tucker turns in an inspired, tough performance that offers a series of songs reflecting her life's many travels and travails. A musical firebrand on record since she was 14, Tucker has ridden out the scandals, the glories, and the excesses to become one of country music's true jewels. Produced by Gregg Brown to coincide with the issue of her autobiography, Nickel Dreams, Complicated is a cleanly produced record of fine songs and great musical performances from some bona fide studio legends, such as Hargus Robins, Pat Buchanan, Reggie Young, Billy Joe Walker, and the incomparable Fats Kaplin. What matters most, of course, is Tucker's performance, and she is in devastatingly fine voice here. The material ranges from the sublime to the merely adequate, but it's all delivered so passionately it doesn't matter. A true standout is the Dulaney and Jones-penned "Little Things," with its gorgeous guitar fills and Tucker's completely convincing delivery about not needing the finer things in life. The opener, "Ridin' Out the Heartache" by Cathy Majeski, has slide guitars and fiddles cascading around Robins' piano in the opening bars before Tucker enters with an acoustic guitar, delivering an anthem of independence and leaving nowhere for parts unknown to get past the blues. The Allen/Jones ballad "It Hurts Like Love" contains Tucker's finest gritty vocal in a ballad. It seemingly is at odds until she gets to the refrain and it all becomes clear. And then there's her read of Harlan Howard's singing two-step mariachi-infused "I Don't Believe That's How You Feel," which should erase any doubt that Tucker can still sing traditional music with verve, originality, and passion. "Love Thing" is funky backbeat-driven country, with Tucker just behind the beat making it come out like that "feeling inside" with slide guitar underlining every phrase. Of course, it should sound this way -- Delbert McClinton wrote it. Nice and greasy. And then there's the bluesy country-rock of the title track, written by Pat McLaughlin, that is equal parts honky tonk and rockin' blues. In all, this is a dynamite record, full of all the right stuff; with Tucker in full-on gritty voice over all that slick production, it's a study in country contradiction that works in spades. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Considering that even at 13 years old, Tanya Tucker sounded like a world-weary adult, it's no surprise that in 1994, firmly ensconced in middle age, her vocals had gained a profound sense of life experience that few other singers of any genre can approach. Thankfully, on Fire to Fire Tucker doesn't even bother with the sort of boot-scootin' modern fluff that would underutilize her wonderfully sandpapery voice. Rather, she concentrates primarily on tear-jerking country ballads and mature pop, wringing so much emotion out of each word that she often recalls late-'70s/early-'80s era George Jones. Producer Jerry Crutchfield wisely keeps the music minimal throughout, allowing Tucker's voice to carry the tunes. Occasionally, Crutchfield's pop side gets the best of him (resulting in songs that sound like they'd be a bit more comfortable on a Don Henley album), but luckily the music never overwhelms the message. Standouts include "Come in Out of the World," the title track (a duet with Willie Nelson), and "Love Will," which moves jauntily along with a nice Muscle Shoals-inspired groove. Fire to Fire is an adult album in the best sense of the word. There are no barnburners or instant chart classics here, just thoughtful songwriting, flawless (if sometimes uninspired) musicianship, and one of the all-time greatest voices in country music. ~ Pemberton Roach, All Music Guide
'Lizzie & the Rain Man'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 10
Label Universal Special Products
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What The Critics Say
Lizzie & the Rain Man is a eight-song budget collection (ten on compact disc), the title of which is taken from Tucker's 1975 number one hit. That song is here as well as the hits "San Antonio Stroll" and "Ridin' Rainbows." Other tracks include her cover of "Son of a Preacher Man" and (on CD only) a duet with Glen Campbell on "Dream Lover." Drawn from Tucker's late-'70s MCA recordings, Lizzie & the Rain Man is a good, if brief, collection in terms of overall quality and will please the thrifty as well as serious fans in search of a few '70s album tracks on CD. ~ Greg Adams, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Given her predilection for switching record labels, it's more than interesting to look at the debut albums Tanya Tucker issued for each. They are always undeniably strong, consistent, and soulful. Girls Like Me is no exception, produced by Jerry Crutchfield and featuring a tight collection of songs that reflects Tucker's considerable experience as a vocalist and a country music icon. From the Paul Overstreet and Paul Davis-penned opener, "One Love at a Time," which could almost be interpreted as autobiographical, to the beautiful swanky pop of Davis' "Fool, Fool Heart," Tucker shows both sides of her complicated amorous life. But it's when the shimmering synthesizer introduces the Karen Brooks/Matraca Berg-authored title track that Tucker turns in her most inspired performance on the set. Beginning slow and sultry as an "other side of the tracks" story, it shimmers with a desperate but simmering passion that reflects the dreams and wreckage of "passion on the beach" through the eyes of a "paperback dreamer." Again, as she relates the tale of finding a love whose intensity she couldn't sustain, Tucker is baring her own soul. She seeks the "long and lonely streets" before the bridge and screaming guitar usher in a moment of hope, a desperate one that in fact refuses to say die. And then there's Marshall Chapman's tough "Daddy Long Legs," which sits deeply in Tucker's interpretive groove. The track is part Bobbie Gentry, part Tucker, and part Delbert McClinton; it drips funky blues and steamy honky tonk. Girls Like Me is a winner from end to end and one of the best efforts of the '80s for Tucker. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Soon dips into some average material and over-synthesized production. Fortunately, Tucker pulls out of the dive thanks to two ballads - "Soon" and "Silence is King" - strong enough to rise above the treatment, and a pair of toothy tracks - "Sneaky Moon" and "A Blue Guitar" - that get back to the resonating riffs of the opener. ~ Roch Parisien, All Music Guide
'Can't Run from Yourself'
Release Date 1/1/1992
Tracks 10
Label Capitol Nashville
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What The Critics Say
Edgier and more consistent than What Do I Do with Me, Can't Run from Yourself runs the range of Tucker's abilities, from the slow-blues burn of Marshall Chapman's "Can't Run from Yourself" to the wistful melancholy of Hugh Prestwood's "Half the Moon." A rollicking duet with Delbert McClinton on "Tell Me About It" is matched by the fine romance of "Two Sparrows in a Hurricane"; which one you like best will depend strictly on personal preferences. Switch one song on each side, and you've got a side of rockers and a side of ballads. ~ Brian Mansfield, All Music Guide
