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