My Turn

*My Turn* comprises Tanya Tucker’s honky-tonk take on classic country standards that were initially popularized by the dudes. But she also dedicated her 24th studio album to her dad Beau Tucker, choosing the songs he had always wanted her to sing and recording them in loving tribute to him. “Loves Gonna Live Here” is the first real standout, and not only because Jim Lauderdale’s guest vocals give it a good dose of Bakersfield soul, but also because it’s just a great Buck Owens song. She gives “Crazy Arms” truer grit than the 1956 Ray Price hit, and Rhonda Vincent lends some harmonies on the chorus, giving it a timeless feel. If you’ve ever heard Charley Pride’s 1970 countrypolitan version of “Is Anybody Going To San Antone” replete with choral singers and that pillowy Nashville sound in the mix, there’s a good chance you might dig Tanya Tucker’s more twangy take on it here with Flaco Jiménez’s accordion saturating the song with spicy Tex Mex tones. Her stellar singing on Merle Haggard’s “Ramblin’ Fever” shows that at age 50, Tanya’s voice has aged like wine. It also shows that her dad had great taste in music.

Discover My Turn by Tanya Tucker released in 2009. Find album reviews, track lists, credits, awards and more at AllMusic.

It’s a no-win situation when an established artist makes a cover record, especially of classic songs.