In 1984, a 45-year-old
Tina Turner
made one of the most amazing comebacks in the history of American popular music. A few years earlier, it was hard to imagine the veteran
soul
/
rock
belter reinventing herself and returning to the top of the
pop
charts, but she did exactly that with the outstanding
Private Dancer
. And
Turner
did so without sacrificing her musical integrity. To be sure, this
R&B
pearl is decidedly slicker than such raw, earthy, hard-edged
Ike & Tina
classics as
"Proud Mary,"
"Sexy Ida,"
and
"I Wanna Take You Higher."
But she still has a tough, throaty, passionate delivery that serves her beautifully on everything from the melancholy,
reggae
-influenced
"What's Love Got to Do With It"
to the gutsy
"Better Be Good to Me"
to heartfelt remakes of
the Beatles
'
"Help,"
Al Green
's
"Let's Stay Together,"
David Bowie
"1984."
A reflection on the emptiness of a stripper's life, the dusky title song is as poignant as it is depressing. Without question, this was
's finest hour as a solo artist. ~ Alex Henderson