Tanya Tucker creates a little slice of heaven

FORT WORTH - A bona fide honky-tonk angel touched ground Saturday at Billy Bob's Texas and proudly spread her time-worn wings.

Tanya Tucker, one of those country stars who have always lived it like they sing it, was true to the venue's spirit with a well-structured set that strutted, wept and rocked through her song catalog. If they didn't build this sprawling Texas honky-tonk just for her, they probably should have.

You will seldom see a performer more comfortably in her element. Tucker, her tight six-piece band and a female backup singer glided through favorites like Hangin' In, Jamestown Ferry, What's Your Mama's Name, Child? and Two Sparrows in a Hurricane. And, of course, Delta Dawn -- a song she made a hit in 1972. Yes, 1972.

The natural rasp in Tucker's voice is a bit more pronounced these days, but it mostly gave her songs about life's headaches and heartaches that much more texture. In all other respects she more than got the vocal job done.

And does Tucker know how to put on a show. She seasoned her numbers with plenty of sex appeal and sass; there was so much hip-wiggling in It's a Little Too Late that Tucker closed the number by imitating some classic Elvis moves.

While most of the 95-minute show was probably what her audience expected, her first encores offered a nice surprise. Tucker has been recording with Bob Wills' band, the Texas Playboys, so she brought out a half-dozen of the 'Boys and did a couple of Western swing numbers that will appear on a forthcoming album -- her 31st.

The final encore featured the Playboys, Tucker's band and the entire audience doing Texas (When I Die), much to the delight of all.

But the song, which Tucker said "should be the national anthem of Texas," didn't really ring true. Saturday's show made it clear that this angel does not have to wait to die to scoot her boots across the Lone Star State.

GRADE: A