Tina Turner officially retired from the stage upon the completion of her 2000 world tour.  There was a brief burst of activity in 2004 when she released a double CD compilation, All The Best, and promoted it on several TV and radio spots.  Although having stated she would continue to record and despite revealing in late 2006 that she was working on a new album, no full album of new material has since surfaced.

This year was to be another enjoyed by the retired Queen of Rock doing “a lot of nothing,” which according to her included such mundane tasks as rearranging the furniture in her homes in Switzerland and France, respectively. Sounds like fun.  But all of that was to change after Tina performed with Beyonce at this year’s Grammy Awards, which then led her neighbor Sophia Loren to declare her break over, ordering Turner to get back to work.  She finally relented and here we are.

Tina! is really only a promotional tool to accompany the new world tour, which kicks off on October 3^rd in Kansas City.  It will be a “greatest hits” show and this 18-track disc pretty much represents her finest moments post Ike, save for two which I‘ll get to shortly.  A phenomenal live performer, Turner has now sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer, and still no other woman has ever filled stadiums fronting a rock band as Turner has for the last twenty-plus years.

So the great thing about Tina! is the live recordings added in lieu of the original studio versions.  I’m always surprised team Turner continues to use the ‘86 recording of “Addicted To Love” from Camden Place instead of the more beefed up versions from either of her more recent tours, but it rocks just the same and puts Palmer’s original to shame.

“I Can’t Stand The Rain” and “Let’s Stay Together” were taken from Turner’s record-breaking fifteen-month-long Wildest Dreams Tour of 96/97.  They are lifted from the unplugged section of the show and highlight Turner’s soulful delivery and the late great Kenny Moore on piano and backing vocals. 

The scorching anthem “The Best” was recorded at Wembley Stadium during her last tour (Twenty Four Seven) before a crowd of 80,000.  If the twin guitar assault and Turner’s blasting vocals aren’t enough to get your blood pumping, then I don’t know what will.

Another highlight is Phil Spector’s original production of “River Deep, Mountain High.”  In its day (1966), the song failed to find an audience in America; it was too black for the pop stations and too pop for the black stations, and radio failed to support it.  England and Europe, however, were a different story and the song became a massive international hit for Tina.  It is, of course, today viewed as a classic and Spector’s “Wall Of Sound” never sounded better.

Bluesy rocker “Steamy Windows,”,the cheeky pop/rock of “What You Get Is What You See,” and the synth-driven rock of “Better Be Good To Me” all sound as fresh and energizing as they did during their prime.  The original album version of “The Acid Queen” is here as well in all its ‘70s rock glory. 

Curiously, the selected version of “Proud Mary” is the re-recorded one taken from Turner’s ’93 soundtrack to her biopic.  It’s still true to Ike and Tina’s original take and comes complete with Tina’s spoken word intro. Also taken from the soundtrack is “I Don’t Wanna Fight,” which is one of Turner’s finest moment of the ‘90s.

Speaking of Ike, his only appearance here is on the original version of her self-penned ditty “Nut Bush City Limits.”  Ike was a hell of a guitarist and his funk-fueled arrangement still sounds fresh today.  “We Don’t Need Another Hero” is still bigger than Texas and remains one of Turner’s greatest vocal performances. 

No hits collection would be complete without the big ones from her ‘84 comeback LP Private Dancer.  The title track and “What’s Love Got To Do With It” are included here and it’s still great to hear the raw rocker practice some vocal restraint to accompany the pop arrangements of the day.  Tina’s ’95 James Bond theme “Goldeneye” (penned by Bono and The Edge) gets a look in and is the only track included from her previous two studio albums. 

Rounding out this collection are the obligatory new songs.  “It Would Be A Crime” is stylistically and lyrically mundane, to say the least, and is the only flat spot on this stunning set.  The other newbie, however, is great.  “I’m Ready” finds Tina in a defiant and inspired mood and surprisingly, it is easily one of her best songs for quite some time.                                                                                

In closing, I’ll say this: there are lots of ways Turner and her manager Roger Davies could have chosen to celebrate her return to the stage.  Her solo albums are long overdue to be remastered and re-issued.  No live album of her previous three world tours has been released, much to my dismay, as it’s easily the only way to truly experience her rare talents.  Live films of shows dating back to 1983 have yet to see life on DVD.  Hopefully, this tour will be filmed at some point.  Unfortunately, they did take the easy road here.

But having said all of that, this is great introduction to the lady especially if you’re not familiar with the bulk of her work.  Welcome back Miss Tina, why don’t you stay awhile?

Rating: A-

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