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From Tuskegee, Alabama, Lionel Richie was always a county boy at heart: that much was implicit by the narrative-heavy ballads that pepper his back catalogue and the countless countrified covers of Three Times a Lady. Here, his Stetson is truly out of the closet as he gives a collection of his classic numbers a pronounced rural makeover, duet-style as he brings in some of the genre’s biggest names. Shrewd choices too, running from the legendary to the contemporary, meaning Kenny Rogers, Willie Nelson and Shania Twain put in appearances, as do Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker and Rasmus Seebach – but this isn’t simply a sales pitch. Richie constantly crops up at the Country Music Association Awards and is probably as marketable to the lighter end of the country music audience as most of his guests. And this album won’t have affected such a status quo.
With the exception of a couple of ill-advised collaborations – Hello, with Sugarland’s Jennifer Nettles, is even more mawkish than the original; Angel, featuring Pixie Lott, becomes a bland power ballad – it all works with total synchronicity. The tempos, sentiments and story-telling centres of these songs are perfect country fodder, and Richie’s light touch with the vocals and the instrumentation has long been established. Dancing on the Ceiling becomes a mildly raucous banjo-fest; Say You Say Me adopts a pedal steel guitar; Deep River Woman, featuring Little Big Town’s delicate harmonising, is rural gospel personified; Easy has a creeping organ that’s pure Memphis, while the harmonica and Willie Nelson’s singing give it nearly an outlaw quality; and Jimmy Buffett fits perfectly with the restrained island pulse of All Night Long. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about these hayride makeovers is the music and the vocal interactions seem so natural, in quite a few cases you have to go back to the originals to check something has actually been changed.
Whether Tuskegee, the album, is enough to please hard core country fans is not really the point here – Richie’s post-Commodores output was largely ignored by soul fans. He’s a pop artist of substance, and as such brings a touch of class and sufficient flavour of another genre to the mainstream to make music that’s interesting and lasting.
--Lloyd Bradley
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Product Description
(2012/UNIVERSAL) 14 tracks (63:18) with 20 page color booklet from this 'Soul Hero meets Country Legends' session.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 42 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
One of the biggest acts of the eighties, Lionel Richie was born in Tuskegee, Alabama in 1949 so, as he declares, he's a country boy at heart. But Richie has never been that far from country music in his career. After all, he did write and produce Kenny Roger's US #1 hit "Lady" in 1980 and a year later he took it to #8 with the Commodores. Here, Lionel Richie duets with Kenny Rogers in a perfect reprise of one of Richie's most beautiful songs.
Blessed with a silky, smoky voice, ideally suited to the soulful ballads that he purveys, he is also a prolific songwriter and all of the thirteen songs that made the US top ten between 1981 and 1986 were written by him. On Tuskegee, he reprises eight of those hits but this time with some of country's top performers. "Endless Love" was originally a #1 with Diana Ross, but here there is a sumptuous version with Shania Twain, with both in perfect harmony and with a dramatic arrangement. Released as a single in the United States it deserves to be a hit all over again.
There are three other original #1 hits reworked on this album: "Say You, Say Me" with Jason Aldean; "Hello" with Jennifer Nettles and "All Night Long" complete with steel drums and having a good time with the irrepressible, Jimmy Buffet.
The album also contains three of Lionel's Commodores' hits; the fabulous "Easy" with "Willie Nelson; the above mentioned "Lady" and "Sail On" with the Swedish singer, Jill Johnson.
The album works on several levels. First, as a vehicle for Richie's soft, brown, bewitching voice; second, as a platform for some fabulous songs and third as a reminder that R & B and country is a perfect combination. Suffused with country steel and laced with soul, pop, Richie's voice and some sympathetic arrangements this album should have wide appeal.
Blessed with a silky, smoky voice, ideally suited to the soulful ballads that he purveys, he is also a prolific songwriter and all of the thirteen songs that made the US top ten between 1981 and 1986 were written by him. On Tuskegee, he reprises eight of those hits but this time with some of country's top performers. "Endless Love" was originally a #1 with Diana Ross, but here there is a sumptuous version with Shania Twain, with both in perfect harmony and with a dramatic arrangement. Released as a single in the United States it deserves to be a hit all over again.
There are three other original #1 hits reworked on this album: "Say You, Say Me" with Jason Aldean; "Hello" with Jennifer Nettles and "All Night Long" complete with steel drums and having a good time with the irrepressible, Jimmy Buffet.
The album also contains three of Lionel's Commodores' hits; the fabulous "Easy" with "Willie Nelson; the above mentioned "Lady" and "Sail On" with the Swedish singer, Jill Johnson.
The album works on several levels. First, as a vehicle for Richie's soft, brown, bewitching voice; second, as a platform for some fabulous songs and third as a reminder that R & B and country is a perfect combination. Suffused with country steel and laced with soul, pop, Richie's voice and some sympathetic arrangements this album should have wide appeal.
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I am not a fan of Lionel Richie particularly but once I knew he was releasing a Country album of duets with some of the top rated Country music artists I just had to buy Tuskegee. It was only after a few weeks when I was listening to KYGO station from Denver and heard 'Say You, Say Me' I thought that it didn't sound like the version I had at home. Once home I checked my version and assumed all versions had Rasmus Seebach as the co singer on that song...I had never heard of Seebach and had actually wondered where Lionel had picked him up from! As I looked further into it I found out also that the 'Sail On' track featured Jill Johnson (another unknown). When I checked the original USA release I became aware that the two tracks butchered for the UK market SHOULD feature Country superstars Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw!!!
So if you buy the UK version you are being fobbed off with an inferior product with do Scandinavian unknowns standing in for established Country artists.
Avoid the UK copy and order the USA version if you want the original and PROPER Country version.
I am truly sick of people doctoring Country albums for a UK release!
So if you buy the UK version you are being fobbed off with an inferior product with do Scandinavian unknowns standing in for established Country artists.
Avoid the UK copy and order the USA version if you want the original and PROPER Country version.
I am truly sick of people doctoring Country albums for a UK release!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Just received this excellent album!! What an absolute winner, every track is a masterpiece.
And with those steel guitars in the background, how can you fault it?
Buy it now, you will not regret it!!
And with those steel guitars in the background, how can you fault it?
Buy it now, you will not regret it!!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tuskegee CD
I bough two of these for birthday presents for a friend and my sister, so not listened to the cd. But I have experienced the great man live at the Tuskegee concert my sis and I... Read more
Published 9 hours ago by I. Ramsay
5.0 out of 5 stars
great music
some lovely music great collection of song sung beautifully by a wonderful artist thaqnks for great moments he's not lost it like so of the artists of the 70's and 80's
Published 21 days ago by ae hill
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT
Really wonderful it gets played all the time, will never tire of Lional Richie he is a true show man
Published 24 days ago by sky diamond
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love Lionel!
I bought this after watching a programme about the making of it. I have all his music on Albums or cassettes (shows how long I've been a fan! Read more
Published 1 month ago by MagsEar
2.0 out of 5 stars
poor repeat or reguiritated hits
Not a good choice all different versions of old hits with other unknown musicians. if i had a better look at this or o list of titles i would not have got this.
Published 1 month ago by Denise
5.0 out of 5 stars
richie
wanted the new country version.very good cd.very relaxing music.would recommend it to my friends.good to here the old songs again
Published 1 month ago by raymond
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good Listening
A good listen for pleasant mood making annoyance having to find more words for an already good review - fewer often better!
Published 2 months ago by she
5.0 out of 5 stars
Tuskegee (deluxe)
Bought for my sons Xmas present and he was very pleased with it and played it in his car constantly
Published 2 months ago by nannie
5.0 out of 5 stars
glad I purchased this
great album and love the country feel, Lionel Ritchie and guests are such a class act, Would recommend this album
Published 2 months ago by Kathleen Deans
5.0 out of 5 stars
lionel
another favourite of mine and have seen him live in London so like tolisten to the music in my car when driving to work
Published 2 months ago by Annabel Evans
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