“Delta Dawn,” the song that made 13-year-old Tanya Tucker a star, is one of those pleasant earworms you can catch yourself humming for days after you hear it. Tucker, who has made a lot of music since that breakthrough in 1972, has no shortage of similar hits in her catalog. Yet, for most of the 21st century, it seemed she had already run her last rodeo. That is until superfan Brandi Carlile joined forces with Shooter Jennings and convinced Tucker to step back into the studio for her first release in 17 years. Carlile had the wherewithal to hire a camera crew to track the recording and release process from day one. The result is The Return of Tanya Tucker — ft. Brandi Carlile (2022), an intimate and rousing documentary directed by Kathlyn Horan.
Carlile references Johnny Cash’s album “American Recordings” and the Rick Rubin-overseen publicity tour as a reference point for her motivation to draw Tucker back into the fold. That album was a touchpoint in 1990s country. It set off a Cash renaissance leading to a string of further cover albums and tours, a victory lap, and a final coronation of sorts for a Country music icon. As both Carlile and Jennings note early on in the doc, for all the decades of influence Tucker has exerted on Country and Americana she has never been lionized the same way Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, or Cash have. When they ask Tucker what she thinks about being left out, she simply says “If I were to pay attention to every time my name wasn’t mentioned, I’d be upset all the time.” Even though Tucker may not, it’s clear those who love her sure do.
Most of the runtime happens in the recording studio. Prior to day one, Tucker and Carlile had never met, and Tucker even admits later she had never heard of Carlile before Jennings connected them. Resultantly, the twin joys of the album’s creation are basking in Tucker’s creative process and seeing her and Carlile form a bond that traverses fandom and generations of musicians. Even for Tucker’s tough-as-nails, no-nonsense, approach to everything, she reveals a searing vulnerability underneath. Decades of tabloids going for her throat have left a permanent trepidation about the spotlight, and this album marks a conscious choice to wade back into the fold. Carlile is fiercely protective of Tucker, and it is achingly poignant to watch the two women, superstars in their own rights, form an artistic and soul-deep bond. Throw in all the beautiful music they make together and you have the recipe for a joyous time.
The film’s immediacy owes a debt to Jessica Young’s fly-on-the-wall cinematography. Whether it was at a recording session, concert prep, or rehearsal, Young was there with unfettered access to Tucker, Carlile, and the whole crew. Her camera feels like another participant in each conversation. Never intruding, but nodding along and actively observing. Apart from when they’re meant to address the camera or clearly sit for an interview, it’s remarkable how invisible everyone treats the camera. Young, therefore, captures intimate moments beyond what one usually expects from a musician-overseen doc. Leading up to a performance at Loretta Lynn’s birthday celebration, Carlile minorly freaks out when Tucker doesn’t make it to a rehearsal. Young catches Carlile’s frustration, and Carlile for her part is open enough to speak frankly. The moment lends a luster of authenticity that ripples throughout: making an album is hard, even when your partner-in-crime is a beloved idol.
In totality, The Return of Tanya Tucker — ft. Brandi Carlile is a comprehensive reflection of and reckoning with one of the towering figures in 20th-century music. Horan’s film traces the experience from that fateful first recording day all the way up to the 2019 Grammy Awards and the resurgence Tucker embraced thereafter. There is an argument to be made that Horan and her editor Brady Hammes could have cut some darlings and delivered a tighter piece. The doc has a touch of bloat here and there, but it remains difficult to quibble in good faith any choice that went into making such a wholehearted celebration of a woman who deserves every salute she receives. Tanya Tucker is a God damn legend and The Return of Tanya Tucker — ft. Brandi Carlile is here to make sure we never forget that again.
The Return of Tanya Tucker — ft. Brandi Carlile was viewed in the 24 Beats Per Second section of SXSW 2022.
Director: Kathlyn Horan
Rated: NR
Runtime: 108m
Rating: 4 out of 5
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Devin McGrath-Conwell holds a B.A. in Film / English from Middlebury College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Screenwriting from Emerson College. His obsessions include all things horror, David Lynch, the darkest of satires, and Billy Joel. Devin’s writing has also appeared in publications such as Filmhounds Magazine, Film Cred, Horror Homeroom, and Cinema Scholars.