I didnt know if the songs were strong enough, she tells EW.
She also felt the lyrics had things in there I wouldnt say.
Even the person whod been hired to co-produce it, the celebrated singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, caused her concern.
Credit: Danny Clinch
(I didnt know who the hell she was.)
It only increased her reticence that Carlile seemed pleased with some vocal takes she herself considered flawed.
I thought, Im sure theyre going to be able to fix some of this stuff, Tucker says.
Danny Clinch
But Brandi talked me out of fixing anything.
She managed to do so with a line that finally made Tucker understand Carliles vision for the project.
In a separate interview, Carlile says she understands why Tucker would have trouble warming to such a project.
Tanya will always be uncomfortable deviating from the glitz and glamour that people love about her, she says.
But some of that obscures her soulfulness.
I wanted to shine a light on Tanya Tucker as the tough and weathered interpreter.
Both clarify the artists character, distilling their essence.
Every couple of days, shed call the whole thing off, says Carlile.
I called Rick and said, Is this a thing?
Should I be deterred by this, or just keep going?
Two years later, she made the cover ofRolling Stonewith the memorable headline: Im Tanya Tucker.
Youre Gonna Hear From Me.
I pick commercial songs, Tucker says, proudly.
Im one of the best at that.
I was wanting them to say they just suck, Tucker says.
Paul said, You might take a risk on losing your reputation for picking hit songs.
Then again, it might open some doors for you.
Besides, it wasnt like Tucker has been having much luck in the music industry of late.
After herTanyaalbum barely broke countrys Top 40 in 2002, the once prolific star started to step away.
It should have been calledMy Shy Turn, she says, with a cackle.
They didnt use the final vocals I made.
I had no control.
She had more personal issues to deal with as well.
Tucker began to experience health problems from the chronic fatigue disease Epstein-barr.
And both of her parents died, leaving her emotionally bereft and without management.
(Her father had handled her career from the start).
I didnt have a band, she says.
I went out to Malibu and sat in the sun and spent a lot of money.
I said, Hell, yeah!
And can I watch it go down?
He called back and said, Actually, you should be the one producing this with me.
You really are that big a Tanya fan.
But, says Carlile, I had the background on her and I also had templates.
Id say, Hey, Tanya lived in Vegas, so lets do a gambling song.
Or, Shes rough around the edges, so lets make a prison song.
Basically, we wrote a musical biography of Tanya.
But Brandi talked me into it.
Tucker herself wrote the lyric for Bring My Flowers Now, which contains the title phrase While Im livin.
Its a fitting declaration for someone who has just entered her seventh decade.
Asked about her age, Tucker says, I would prefer to be 20 or 30 again.
I have so much to do and I lost a lot of time there between records.
I need to play catch up.
Carlile hopes this album will help her do just that by exposing her to a new audience.
Tanya isnt seen in the way that she should be, she says.
For the Americana audience, shes been forgotten and shes their matriarch.
We have a lot of lessons we can learn from a woman like this.
In turn, Tucker feels grateful that shes been given a new opportunity.
I know I came into this [album] thinking it was all wrong, she said.
But I come to find out, its not so bad being wrong.
In fact, I kinda like it.
