Tanya Tucker has not released a new album of original music since I was 12. To say the least, much has changed. For example, I received my driver’s license, smoked a few cigarettes, and have experienced one too many drinks, all in true Tucker fashion.
While I’m Living, Tucker’s latest album was released last August on Fantasy records. It has been 17 years since Tucker’s previous release of original material and 47 years since her 1972 debut, Delta Dawn.
But to be honest, I just discovered Tucker. As any Oklahoman, I grew up with the sounds of real country music. My interest was spurred in Tucker when I heard Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings were co-producing her new album. I adore albums that team legends up with contemporary musicians. I still have Loretta Lynn and Jack White’s Van Lear Rose on repeat.
Tucker’s voice is a stone, one of those stones that you skip on the lake. These stones are smooth and have a distinct beauty, yet they are tough. These stones are honest beauty.
While I’m Living begins with the steady, guitar-driven “Mustang Ridge.” From the beginning, one can tell this is not the Tucker of controversial folklore; this is the artist Tanya Tucker. It is followed by the album’s first single, “The Wheels of Laredo,” a heart-wrenching ballad where Tucker’s signature vocals are laid bare.
Moving down a few tracks on side A, one encounters “The Day My Heart Stood Still.” Tucker sings this song for her father, who was her long-time manager. This is a “love” song, but it’s not about romance. Tucker’s voice and Carlile’s lyrics truly define the deep love you feel for the one who has given you everything, a love that loves you back at your most vulnerable.
Side B opens with a cover of Miranda Lambert’s 2010 single, “The House That Built Me.” Tucker gives this track a new spin, as she sings from the standpoint of being a mom. It’s glorious and sad at the same time while showing that even the strongest in our lives need a shoulder to lean on.
The album closes with “Bring My Flowers Now.” Carlile and Tucker co-wrote this song, and it is the album’s most significant composition. Tucker explains how she wants her flowers while she is living, not when she is gone. Tucker lets her guard down as she gives this ballad life through her raspy, fierce, yet tender vocals. Her delivery stings, while reminding you there is still time.
So a lot can change in 17 years, and Tucker proves that with a little hard luck, talent does not have an expiration date. The beauty in this album lies in the delivery. Her vocals can easily kick your ass and will readily give you the bird, yet she switches these sentiments for vulnerability and pure honesty while remaining distinctly tough. She is a legend at 61, yet she sounds just as vibrant as her landmark album, TNT. Although Tucker has been in the music game for nearly 50 years, let’s hope this album is only a prologue to what is still to come.
Photo credit: Danny Clinch
