For some mysterious reason, Tanya Tucker's Tennessee Woman sounds out of time for its 1990 year of release. Some of this disc has the feel of a late-'70s outlaw recording with those guitars popping all over the place, pianos dropped in all the right spots, and tempos ranging from the hardcore 4/4 two-step to the rock & roll waltz. But that's not a bad thing. Tucker is in great voice here, turning in a deck of fine songs with a couple of real standouts. In fact, starting with the first two tracks, Paul Overstreet's "Take Another Run" and the Garvin/Shapiro-penned "Shotgun," the set is off with a real bang. In particular, the latter has an old Western feeling in the refrains and minor-key signature that is deceptively ushered in with a near classical piano line before the acoustic guitars and Telecasters come flowing through the middle of a true cowgirl's love song. There's a duet with T. Graham Brown on the cover of Foster & Lloyd's "Don't Go Out." On it, two singers grittily plead with one another not to betray one another. It's a duet with plenty of country soul despite the outrageously slick production. The medley of the Tucker/Gary Stewart-scripted title track with "Ben's Song" is one of those killer honky tonk love songs made regal by the cascading guitars and rim shots. The hottest track, though, is "It Won't Be Me," which is Tucker doing her best (albeit reinterpreted) Dwight Yoakam. It kicks and makes the listener move. Paul Kennerley's "Walking Shoes" is another neo-trad outlaw song; with its road theme, slippery guitar feel, and cut-time honky tonk beat, it's more rock & roll than country, but it never leaves the country idiom. It wouldn't be hard to imagine Waylon Jennings or Hank Williams Jr. recording this one. A fine effort.

TANYA TUCKER
TENNESSEE WOMAN
(Capitol CDP7-91821)
April 17/1990
Produced by Jerry Crutchfield


Reggie Young, Steve Gibson, Don Potter, Mark Casstevens, Brent Rowan - guitar
Paul Franklin, Sonny Garrish - steel
Roy Huskey, Bob Wray - bass
Eddie Bayers, Paul Leim, Harry Stinson - drums
Dennis Burnside - piano
Matt Rollings, Mitch Humphries - keyboards
Mike Lawler - synthesizer
Terry McMillan - harmonica
Vocsals:
Louis Dean Nunley, Curtis Young, Liana Young,
Beth Nielsen Chapman, Wayland Patton, Dennis Wilson
Recorded:
Dec/1989, Music Mill, Nashville

1.
TAKE ANOTHER RUN
(Don Schlitz - Paul Overstreet)
« © '92 New Don Songs, ASCAP / Scarlet Moon Music, BMI »

We started out to walk through life hand and hand together
We ran into some trouble on the highway to forever
We took our turn that turned out wrong woke to find the feeling gone
But I know that we'll recover if we hold onto each other

Let's take another run at it baby take another run at our love
Let's have a little fun with it darlin' it don't have to be so serious
Don't tell me it's over we can pick the pieces up
Let's take another run take another run at our love

Sometimes the mountain looks so high when you're standing at the bottom
But once you've made it to the top you can't see the problem
Right now it hurts a little bit but we've never been the kind to quit
And I know we'll make it over we'll be rolling in the clover

Let's take another run at it baby...
[ guitar - piano ]
If we walk away and say we tried
We'll never know what's on the other side

Let's take another run at it baby...
Let's take another run at it baby...
**********
2.
SHOTGUN
(Michael Garvin - Tom Shapiro)
« © '90 Cross Keys Publishing, ASCAP »

**********
3.
AS LONG AS THERE'S A HEARTBEAT
(David Powelson)
« © '90 Sheddhouse Music, ASCAP »

**********
4.
DON'T GO OUT WITH HIM
(Radney Foster - Bill Lloyd)
« © '90 BMG Songs, ASCAP »

[ with T. Graham Brown ]

Baby your heart is in serious danger don't go out with her
She'll lead you on treat you like a stranger don't go out with her
You need someone like me who'll love you endlessly

Baby your headed for a brand new heartache don't go out with him
The fire of midnight burns out at daybreak don't go out with him
Darling wake up and see I'm waiting patiently

My love is everything you'll ever need
I'll start by holding your heart close to me
I know just what she'll do her kind is never true
He can't take care of you like me
[ guitar ]
I know a place where love is for certain don't go out with her
Bring me your heart there won't be no hurtin' don't go out with him
When it's all said and done I'll be your only one
[ guitar ]
Baby your heart is in serious danger don't go out with him
She'll lead you on treat you like a stranger don't go out with him
Baby your headed for a brand new heartache don't go out with her
**********
5.
THERE'S A TENNESSEE WOMAN / BEN'S SONG
(Tanya Tucker - Gary Stewart)
« © '90 Tanya Tucker Music, BMI / Blue Day Music, BMI »

**********
6.
GOODBYE BABY
(Paul Davis)
« © '90 Michael Goldstein Music »

**********
7.
IT WON'T BE ME
(Chris Waters - Tom Shapiro)
« © '90 Curb Songs, ASCAP »

Somebody oughta tell that girl she's livin' in a dreamers world
That boy is gone as gone can be
But it won't be me no it won't be me
Somebody oughta set her straight she oughta give up to wait
He'll never give up being free
But it won't be me no it won't be me

To see her fall apart would be more than I could bear
I'm just too close to that girl in the mirror there

Somebody oughta let her know she's gotta let him go
It's time to face reality
But it won't be me no it won't be me
[ guitar ]
To see her fall apart would be more than I could bear
I'm just too close to that girl in the mirror there

Somebody oughta let her know she's gotta let him go
It's time to face reality
But it won't be me no it won't be me
Well it won't be T no it won't be me
**********
8.
YOUR OLD MAGIC
(Tony Martin - Troy Martin)
« © '90 Heart Chart Music, BMI »

**********
9.
WALKING SHOES
(Paul Kennerley)
« © '90 Irving Music, BMI »

I'm gonna put on my walking shoes tonight
Well I'm leaving here cause you don't treat me right
All you do is make me cry so now I'm gonna say goodbye
I'm gonna put on my walking shoes tonight

Yeah I'll be wearing my old travelling hat
Now baby what do you think of that
Cause all you do is treat me wrong so honey I'll be good and gone
I'll be wearing my old travelling hat

I'm the best thing baby that you ever had
When you find that out you're gonna feel so bad
You'll beg me please to come back home to you
But it's too late I'm puttin' on my walking shoes
[ guitar ]
Now I'll be wearing my it's all over coat
And I ain't even leaving you a note
All you do is cause me pain and I ain't coming back again
I'll be wearing my it's all over coat

I'm gonna put on my walking shoes tonight...
I'm gonna put on my walking shoes tonight
Yeah I'm gonna put on my walking shoes tonight
**********
10.
OH WHAT IT DID TO ME
(Jerry Crutchfield)
« © '67 Glitterfish Music, BMI »

I saw you tonight in her arms so tight
I watched as she held you tenderly
You say when she held you it meant nothing to you
But oh what it did to me

You say when she kissed you you didn't feel a thing
Well I felt enough for all three
You want me to believe it did nothing to you
But oh what it did to me

And I felt warm tears flow slowly down my face
As I watched another slowly take my place
And now it's all over you want me to forget
And pretend that things are like they used to be

That it was a kiss that did nothing to you
But oh what it did to me
You want me to believe it did nothing to you
But oh what it did to me to me
**********