I can only theorize that Stuart's sincere and smoldering tribute to 1950's raunch and rockabilly was a bit too strident and visceral for country radio programmers. I believed-and still believe-that it was one of the best releases of the year. I, for one, touted it loudly in these pages. It's still a mystery to me why Hillbilly Rock, Marty Stuart's first album for MCA, released in 1989, didn't make more waves. It's a treat from the first song to the last. Even during its tender, more settled moments-"Till I Found You" and the title track-the energy level on Tempted never sags. There are even a few fine-tuned surprises, such as the time-signature switch in "Little Things," which gives the song a subtle jolt of momentum by omitting two beats as it exits each chorus. Richard Bennett and Tony Brown's production crackles with excitement, especially for the three songs on which Stuart is joined by his road band. In "Blue Train," remake of a 1956 Johnny Cash rockabilly hit, he sounds like he's thrilled to be riding the same musical rails as the Man in Black. "I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome," which opens the album, is an obscure Bill Monroe/Hank Williams tune, and Stuart churns through its chunka-chunka guitar melody with glee, even throwing in an unexpected yodel at one point. Tempted focuses even tighter on the roots, rhythm and themes that helped make last year's jaunty Hillbilly Rock such a toe-tapping pleasure. The stand-out tracks include "Little Things," co-written by Paul Kennerley and Stuart, the Bill Monroe/Hank Williams-penned "I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome," Neil Young's "Get Back To The Country" and a wonderful old Eddie Miller song, "Burn Me Down."Īs one of Nashville's most charismatic country rockers, Marty Stuart maintains a rip-roaring balance between country's old school and its new wave, the historic and the hip. The songwriters represented on Tempted are an amazingly diverse bunch Stuart wrote with same of today's finest, and yesterday's best are represented as well. This is basically the same group that worked with Earle on his records, and they sure know how to make smart country records with a solid helping of rock `n roll thrown in. When you check the credits to see the supporting all-star cast that includes John Jarvis, Harry Stinson and Mark O'Connor and with the fine production touches of Richard Bennett and Tony Brown, you realize why. Listening to Tempted, one is reminded of the first records made by Steve Earle-there's lot's of ringing guitars, some exquisite pedal steel and fiddle work and a walloping back beat. Stuart is part of the group of artists that are updating the traditional sounds of country, keeping hillbilly alive and evolving, yet remaining true to the spirit of Hank Williams and Ernest Tubb. Hot on the heels of the super successful Hillbilly Rock, Marty Stuart serves up Tempted, a hot set of rockin' country tunes sprinkled with a couple of ballads that are heartfelt yet not wimpy. Perfect songs, impeccable backing, and the most confident vocals you've ever heard. Nonetheless, in just over half an hour, Stuart has managed a more complete statement than anything else likely to come out of Nashville - or most other places, for that matter - inġ991. If Tempted rates any gripes, it's that the disc doesn't go on long enough. No song here is less than memorable, and the best are better than that.
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