Album Review: "Tuskegee", by Lionel Richie & Friends

Soul, R & B, and pop music legend Lionel Richie has burst onto the pop-country music scene with a brand new collection of his greatest hits, remade for the country audience.  "Tuskegee", named after the Alabama town where the entertainer was born will bring Richie's hits from the 1970's and 80's to a newer, "country" audience. 

All of the songs on "Tuskegee" are duets with (mostly) country music superstars.  The CD was released with great fanfare, timed perfectly with Richie's performance on the Academy of Country Music Awards in April, along with his own 2-hour concert special (also produced by the ACM) that aired less than two weeks after the award's show. 

Most of the songs on the album have been given a country twist, with some artists delivering stellar performances, while others simply mailed in theirs.  The album's highlights include "Stuck On You", with former Hootie and The Blowfish frontman-turned country star Darius Rucker.  Their vocals are among the best on the entire album.  That's followed closely by Lionel and Kenny Chesney's version of "My Love".  Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles delivers a wonderful performance on "Hello", and Shania Twain is flawless with Richie on "Endless Love".

Country music's most under-appreciated vocal group, Little Big Town is simply amazing on "Deep River Woman", a song that Lionel Richie originally recorded with Alabama for his 1986 album "Dancing On The Ceiling".  Lional also teams up with his longtime friend, Kenny Rogers for "Lady", a song Richie wrote for Rogers that went to #1 in 1980.  More than thirty years later, Kenny's voice is still incredible on the remake. 

For someone who admittedly does not like Rascal Flatts, I'll say that their version of "Dancing On The Ceiling" with Richie is the best up-tempo song on the album.  But "All Night Long" (with Jimmy Buffet & the Coral Reefer Band) fails to entertain, possibly because it was so overplayed in the 80's, some of us are still tired of the song.  Also falling short on this collection are "Say You, Say Me", with Jason Aldean and the unfamiliar "Just For You", with Billy Currington.  Richie struggles to keep time with a few of his own songs.  Nowhere is this more obvious on the album than on "You Are", where Blake Shelton holds his own, while Richie gets lost in the melody. 

Two of Richie's songs from his days with The Commodores are featured on this album.  "Easy", with country legend, Willie Nelson, and "Sail On" with Tim McGraw.  Both give pretty good performances. 

Considering what Country Music has become over the last decade, this album is not bad.  Maybe it's just because I know most of these songs from my teenage years.  There is a certain desperatism by many country stars to constantly cross-over to pop.  I'm not sure how "Tuskegee" is going to play-out, or if it will revive Richie's career.  But it's good for a listen or three, and I give it three dancing cowboy hats.