Tempted is the fifth studio album by American country music artist, Marty Stuart. It was released in January 1991 by MCA Nashville. It peaked at #20 on the Top Country Albums chart. It was certified Gold in the United States and Canada. The songs, "Little Things", "'Til I Found You", "Tempted" and "Burn Me Down" were released as singles and all of them reached the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. "Tempted" at #5 is the highest charting solo single of his career in the United States, although he would reach #2 in 1992 as a duet partner on Travis Tritt's "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'."
Musical style and composition Tempted has been described as a honky-tonk and country rock album.
Content Several songs on this album are covers. "I'm Blue, I'm Lonesome" was co-written by Bill Monroe and Hank Williams and was featured on Monroe's 1966 album, High Lonesome Sound of Bill Monroe. In addition, "Get Back to the Country" was released as a single in 1985 by Neil Young from his album Old Ways.
Critical reception Jana Pendragon of Allmusic gave the album four-and-a-half stars out of five, comparing it to Dwight Yoakam's Hillbilly Deluxe in style and saying, "Stuart kicks country-pop in its well-defined hindquarters[…]But Stuart is just as deadly when he slows things down and does a ballad."
Track listing
Personnel As listed in liner notes. Sam Bacco - percussion, timpani Amanda Bennett - tambourine, hand claps Richard Bennett - acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, 6 string bass, mandolin-guitarophone Bill Cuomo - Hammond organ Stuart Duncan - fiddle Dave Durocher - drums on tracks 2, 5, 7 Ray Flacke - electric guitar on tracks 2, 5, 7 Paul Franklin - steel guitar Ray Herndon - background vocals John Barlow Jarvis - keyboards Paul Kennerley - background vocals Kostas - background vocals Larry Marrs - bass guitar on tracks 2, 5, 7, background vocals Alan O'Bryant - background vocals Mark O'Connor - fiddle Les & Janice Reynolds – hand claps Harry Stinson - drums Marty Stuart - lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin Billy Thomas - background vocals Glenn Worf - bass guitar
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1991) Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (1991) Position US Top Country Albums (Billboard) 49
Singles Year Single Peak positions US Country CAN Country 1991 "Little Things" 8 3 "'Til I Found You" 12 11 "Tempted" 5 4 1992 "Burn Me Down" 7 12
Sources