Stuff I Like That’s Good— Day 12 —Lionel Richie’s Tuskegee

Or, why Lionel Richie’s first country music album is not only one of his greatest works, but one of the best country albums of all time.

Lionel Richie. Just his name evokes thoughts of an 80's era dominated by pop music and oddball fashion sense. If Michael Jackson was the 80's King of Pop, Lionel Richie was Pop’s Crown Prince, making a name for himself on R&B/Pop crossover hits such as “Dancing on the Ceiling,” “All Night Long,” and his mega duet with Dianna Ross, “Endless Love.”

But what a lot of people don’t realize is that Lionel also dabbled into country music. In 1984, Richie released “Stuck on You,” a chart topping country pop hit. But despite that success, Lionel Richie mostly went dark on the country front, and from the 90's onward entered a period of mixed success with his regular repertoire.

Enter Tuskegee.

Tuskegee is Lionel Richie at his finest: soulful, sincere, and most importantly, entertaining. Each of the album’s 13 tracks are duets with some of country music’s biggest stars: Blake Shelton, Shania Twain, Willie Nelson, and many more. Each guest artist is given a chance to shine on these songs, and Lionel’s vocals carry them through like a tour guide on a safari.

Tuskegee may retread old ground, but it tills it up, aerates it, and sows seeds that blossom into a masterpiece.

Songs such as “Deep River Woman” and the formally mentioned “Stuck on You” are improved upon with precision accuracy. Ones like “Dancing on the Ceiling” and “All Night Long” find new life as outdoor party songs. Others, such as “You Are” and “Easy” take on whole new lives that barely resemble the originals, making them feel fresh and new again.

And remember when I said at the beginning that Tuskegee was one of the best country albums of all time?

Part of the process of making an album is creating a product that feels like a whole. Anyone can throw together an album; but not everyone can make an album stirs the soul and is worth listening to again and again.

But Lionel does it here. The duet style gives each track a unique vibrancy, and makes the complete package feel like it was meant to be. Lionel’s vocal style is well suited for the soulful magic of country music, and when combined with the talents of Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, and others, the album turns into the musical equivalent of fine dining.

Tuskegee is easily one of my favorite albums: when I can shamelessly listen to an album again and again on repeat, I think it’s well deserving of a five star rating.

Tuskegee. It’s an album I like, and it is good. Check it out sometime.

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