ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, MAY 20, 1988
By Steve Newton
When you’re arguably the world’s best female rock vocalist, you make friends easily. Tina Turner does, and a lot of those friends show up on her new double-live album, recorded last year in Britain, West Germany, and Sweden.
Ms. Turner sings duets with Bryan Adams on his own “It’s Only Love”, with Eric Clapton on his “Tearing Us Apart”, and David Bowie on his “Tonight” and “Let’s Dance”. She’s also joined by primo bluesman Robert Cray on the old R&B standard “634-5789.”
The majority of the tunes on Tina Live in Europe are taken from her last two hit-filled albums, Break Every Rule and Private Dancer, but she goes back to her Ike and Tina Turner Revue days for John Fogerty’s “Proud Mary” and her own “Nutbush City Limits”. She also uses the Beatles’ “Help” as a showcase for her incredibly emotional vocals.
That one in itself is almost worth the price of admission.