Bradley's Buzz

bub108 Tanya Tucker – Dreamlovers
December 11, 2007
Original Release: October 1980
MCA Records #5140

Our girl had quite a time between the releases of her rock album Tear Me Apart and her return to radio friendly country in 1980. Because of the less than lackluster response to her album, Tanya was still able to tour to support it and then went and then hooked back up with producer Snuff Garrett, who had produced her 1975 Tanya Tucker album, for a one off single “Pecos Promenade” from the film Smokey & The Bandit 2.

Whether Tanya decided she was made for country or if MCA Records wanted her to go back to where she was actually successful is something I don’t particularly know but what did happen is Tanya ended up with a top ten single on the country charts where Tear Me Apart didn’t launch a single that charted on either chart.

Apparently being booed playing rock and roll at the Grand Ole Opry, the no charting singles and the Los Angeles life style were too much for our girl and she opted back to the country forum – though by 1980 country itself was changing and all those pop forms Tanya had been playing with were now coming into vogue.

Perhaps Tanya wanted to find a nice comfort zone for her first country album in a few years so she chose old pal producer Jerry Crutchfield, who had been at the helms for Lovin’ & Learnin’, Here’s Some Love and Ridin’ Rainbows, to produce Dreamlovers.

But another more famous hook up would keep Tanya front and center in the tabloids even if she couldn’t keep record buyers – a certain Mr. over 40 Glen Campbell. Somehow the two hooked up and started what can best be described as a very turbulent relationship. One that sparked open fights, open fists, broken teeth, black eyes and a whole heaping helping of tabloid fodder. Of course being a sexy 22 year old to the older man didn’t hurt magazine sales either.

Because of the famous country singers hooking up it was only natural they would record songs together and the very first single from Dreamlovers was the take on the title, a cover of Bobby Darrin’s excellent “Dream Lover” with Glen and Tanya singing off to each other. It’s a very enjoyable record and one where you can see the pop elements complimenting the country sound. For some reason the song wasn’t a huge hit – though it did hit #59 on the country charts which is something at least.

The best song on the entire Dreamlovers album is the second single, “Can I See You Tonight” provided everything Tanya fans and Tanya herself had been culminating for the past five years – a perfect country/pop hybrid – lively, jumpy and full of life. It also has some of Tanya’s best singing on it and is one of the first singles where her now famous growl and hic cup laden voice is in tact. Personally I think had she not made the pop TNT and the rock Tear Me Apart, she would have never found that most excellent voice which has permeating through the rest of her career.

“Love Knows We Tried” was the final single from the album and appears as the second track on Dreamlovers. Again, it’s a perfect little poppy ballad that reflects back to the songs on some of her previous work but still stands up by itself by having such clever lyrics as, "Goodbye/ doesn't mean we really didn't try/ so you can hold your head up high..."

My favorite songs are still those that are peppy and poppy and “I’ve Got Somebody” is incorporated with some funky little guitar sounds that I could almost hear it being remixed into a disco tune a la Dolly Parton’s “Baby I’m Burnin’” – take a listen at our downloads and see if you don’t hear what I’m talking about.

“All The Way” is superb fun full of country twangs and a sing along chorus – “I’m going down down down spinnin’ round round round/ falling deeper in love every day/ I’ve tried so hard to take it slow/ but I’m losing control/ this time I think I’m gonna fall all the way…”

“Somebody (Trying To Tell You Something)” is another great little gem in the Tanya back catalog – a bluesy funky little number similar in sound to “I’ve Got Somebody” but a little on the darker side – “Somebody’s knocking on your door/ is your day finally coming/ is it the hand of fate or maybe somebody tryin’ to tell you something?”

Where I really think Ridin’ Rainbows, TNT and Tear Me Apart do not have a single dud in the bunch, Dreamlovers sort of slows down some compared to those previous albums. “Let Me Count The Ways” is just a tad too boring for my taste, while “Tennessee Woman” (not to be confused with the similar titled track from 1990's Tennessee Woman album which is actually brilliant) and “Don’t You Want To Be A Lover Tonight” both feel very much like filler, which is something those albums didn’t really have.

The final song on Dreamlovers is yet another duet with Glen, this time an original country pop number called “My Song.” I love the idea, I love their vocals but the song sort of falls apart for me. The whole idea is that one of the two lovers writes a love song for the other and they promise to never let anyone else take the song away, but by the end the whole thing just doesn’t click. I think if it had slightly better lyrics it could’ve been great.

Luckily, I have stepped up the Dreamlovers album a bit with some bonus tracks. The single “Pecos Promenade” is here as it came out prior to the actual album, as well as “Bronco” a very interesting old style country song about a rodeo rider and the crazy ass horse that brought them both a little fame. The song was actually the B-side to the “Dream Lover” single.

The final track is another duet with Glen Campbell – “Why Don’t We Just Sleep On It Tonight” that was released on Glen’s album It’s The World Gone Crazy that was released in early 1981. This time the duo actually get it just right – it’s not as good as “Dream Lover” but it’s far better than “My Song”. Unfortunately it didn’t score much on the charts either hitting #85 on the country. It was released in between Tanya’s solo “Can I See You Tonight” which scored at #4 on the charts and her “Love Knows We Tried” which hit #40 on the country charts so perhaps people were a tad tired of Tanya’s re-emergence on the radio or perhaps their tabloid fodder was too much. Either way, the song didn’t really stand out on radio then but I think it’s a damn good song.

Tanya Tucker – Dreamlovers (bub108)
Track List:
01. Can I See You Tonight 02. Love Knows We Tried 03. I’ve Got Somebody 04. Let Me Count The Ways 05. Dream Lover (with Glen Campbell) 06. Somebody (Tryin’ To Tell You Something) 07. All The Way 08. Tennessee Woman 09. Don’t You Want To Be A Lover Tonight 10. My Song (with Glen Campbell)
Bonus Tracks:
11. Pecos Promenade 12. Bronco 13. Why Don’t We Just Sleep On It Tonight (with Glen Campbell)