I'm your private dancer ... and any old music will do.

Aside from having the hottest pair of legs in the entire world, powerhouse vocalist Tina Turner is known for having one of the most insane comebacks in the history of contemporary music. When Anne Mae Bullock left her abusive, junkie husband Ike Turner in the mid-70s, the woman the public knew as Tina Turner became a shell of what she was once believed to be. Her public divorce gave no real insight to the public of just how gruesome the sixteen-year marriage was, and she quickly became a has-been, supporting her failed records by performing at hotels and singing generic disco songs as heard on Love Explosion, which is quite obviously not the woman's style. In the early 80s, though, Tina began a new project; she put together a new band; she was signed to Capitol Records. Soon after, a certain Al Green cover threw her face first onto the Top 10 in the UK. The rest was history.

Private Dancer is considered to be Tina's first album that had her signature stamp on it; the first that was real artistic statement. Really, it was the first since Nutbush City Limits with Ike Turner back in 1970. Though Tina had no part in the songwriting, she had a lot more control over the sound and feel of her music. There's a great joy on this album not present on her previous records-- she sounds happy to be singing these songs. It's not painful to listen to. If it's one song that sticks out from this record, it's her solo signature song What's Love Got to Do With It, which is a sultry pop song she initially turned down. After some convincing and some demos, Tina eventually let her guard down and ended up releasing it as a single. Smart move because it made her an official music icon for the ages. Forget Proud Mary; this song will forever be hers. The slick 80s production is fun and catchy, as Tina sings her heart out in a clever way that shows off her range. She can be the powerhouse monster box that she's known for ... OR ... she can be sultry and as smooth as butter: just listen to her smokey, effective vocals on the seven-minute title-track, where she desperately chokes out the chorus, playing the part very well: do you wanna see me do the shimmy again? Oh....

One special trait of Tina's "debut" album would be the impressive production. It just sounds expensive. Could just be that her music has helped to define a generation, but there's a really intelligent sensibility present on Private Dancer, specifically on I Might've Been Queen, one of the most underrated and undervalues Tina classics of her career. Starting with a racing synth beat and a heavily dramatic stylization, Tina sings with so much passion it's unbelievable. Her crazy delivery of lines like "I remember the girl in the fields with no name!" are absolutely impeccable. If you're not a songwriter, you have to inject a personality into the music you're singing, and that's something Tina Turner really knows how to do. The woman would go on to be crowned as the Queen of Rock and Roll-- I guess she wasn't that girl in the fields with no name. She has attitude, and she knows how to use it. For those a little confused by the title, you have to hear her screech and holler onthe rock-experiment that is Steel Claw, and any questions you may have will just melt away. Funky Cyndi Lauper-esque dance song 1984 closes this essential record out with a pulsating beat and dramatic vocals. David Bowie should be proud that Tina did this song so much justice.

Private Dancer stands as the only Tina Turner record to be digitally remastered and expanded, but it's a real treat. A lot of times, you'll get a cheesy remix and maybe a b-side; however Capitol took it one step further and added four non-album songs and three extended mixes for a grand total of seven bonus tracks. That's a lot of bonus material for an album original released with a compact ten songs. I refuse to review bonus tracks and let them influence my album score as they aren't included on each release, but if you can get ahold of this remaster, I'd recommend it, if only for the rocking I Wrote a Letter. (Others include the cool Rock and Roll Widow and fun Don't Rush the Good Things.)

JUDGING
I'm sorry, but you can't ever lose with a Tina Turner CD (note that I said CD). She's got the voice of a lifetime and a style that can never be duplicated. Black women are grossly unrepresented in rock music, and it's amazing to watch and listen to a woman like Anne Mae Bullock selling out arenas and stadium like The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith. Though Private Dancer has quite a few covers on it, Tina makes them her own-- if I can tap my foot to a Beatles song (whom I strongly dislike), then you best believe she's a talent to be worshipped.

I Might've Been Queen (5 Stars)

What's Love Got to Do With It (5 Stars)
Show Some Respect (4 Stars)
I Can't Stand the Rain (4.5 Stars)
Private Dancer (5 Stars)
Let's Stay Together (5 Stars)
Better Be Good to Me (4.5 Stars)
Steel Claw (4.5 Stars)
Help (4 Stars)
1984 (4.5 Stars)

OVERALL SCORE: 5 STARS (4.6+)

Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Driving