Tuck & Patti: A Gift of Love

The husband-and-wife guitar/vocal duo Tuck & Patti apply their intimate style to a series of well-known love songs on A Gift of Love (T&P). The album was initially recorded as a special release in Japan, but it proved so successful that it was released worldwide. Tuck & Patti invited their fans to suggest songs for the album, and there’s a good deal of variety on it; the constants are Patti’s rich, warm voice and Tuck’s dexterous and nuanced guitar work. In Tuck & Patti’s hands, these familiar classics become new songs; Patti foregoes the high-note acrobatics of Minnie Riperton’s “Lovin’ You” and turns the song into a deeply felt expression of devotion, while Queen’s “I Was Born to Love You” manages to be simultaneously animated and sensitive. “Close to You” is reinvented as a bossa nova, and Tuck turns in an eloquent solo guitar reading of Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.” A Gift of Love is a stunning album that should not be missed.

Originally Published November 1, 2004