Search - Tanya Tucker :: Can't Run From Yourself

Thirteen years old in 1972, with a deep, throaty voice and weird gothic material, Tanya Tucker made LeAnn Rimes sound like the Olsen twins. Nearly 15 years later, Tucker returned from country-radio exile to launch an ongoing and rewarding (commercially and artistically) comeback with Capitol. This 1992 album falls around the halfway point, and while you might be better off seeking a greatest-hits package to skim Tucker's recent highlights, you can hear much of what makes her so cherishable. Which is her voice and personality. She's still got that rockabilly growl, richer and attractively weathered, and an iconoclastic spunk that's increasingly rare in Nashville. These qualities are shown off to good effect here on the typical rockabilly-lite hit "It's a Little Too Late" and the rollicking, good-natured Delbert McClinton duet "Tell Me About It." These same qualities are neutralized on the sentimental eternal-love story songs that dot her albums (this edition features "Two Sparrows in a Hurricane") and a series of bland ballads. Best of all are a couple of smoldering bluesy numbers, "Danger Ahead" and the Robert Cray-like title track, exciting vocal showcases for one of America's true originals. --Ken Barnes