Dara Starr Tucker
As a lifelong obsessive fan of film, television and theater, vocalist and songwriter Dara Starr Tucker has been waiting for the right time to cut an LP that includes her stirring takes on favorite tunes from scores and soundtracks. A quartet of songs from those sources is a key element of the former longtime Nashvillian’s new LP Time Wouldn’t Wait, her third release on Green Hill. But the jazz, R&B and soul ace also took the opportunity to collect original songs that she never recorded despite performing them live for years — and recorded a new version of the titular song, which appeared on a previous release. The album marks the first time she didn’t concentrate specifically on writing new material for a record.
“The whole emphasis and theme is about the importance of time, taking advantage of possibilities, making the most of every day,” Tucker tells the Scene. We’re speaking ahead of a Sept. 13 performance at Nashville Jazz Workshop, part of a suite of release celebrations that includes shows near her current home in Los Angeles. “That was what we wanted to emphasize in these songs, and to do them in a manner where we really got the audience to feel and experience them. But the key theme that I kept returning to is about finding joy and happiness in the present — being able to enjoy the good that’s happening, even though you clearly don’t ignore other things happening that aren’t so good. Still, so many things happen so quickly in life, and this album’s about enjoying and experiencing them in the moment.”
Recorded mostly in Brooklyn, but with a couple of numbers cut in L.A., Time Wouldn’t Wait superbly presents Tucker’s distinctive blend of influences. There’s the precise timing and rhythmic flexibility of jazz, the storytelling acumen of folk and the emotional energy of soul. The film-centric covers run the gamut from “I Have Dreamed,” a Rodgers and Hammerstein gem from The King and I, to a dynamic take on Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” from Barbie. Besides “Time Wouldn’t Wait,” there are plenty of standouts among the originals, including the evocative and soulful “Tall Georgia Pines” and the emotionally affecting “Brick Wall.” The sessions were produced by bassist and radio host Greg Bryant, who’s also Tucker’s husband, and mastered by Grammy-winning engineer Mike Marciano. Featured musicians include keyboardist Gary Versace, pianist Larry Goldings, drummer Christian Euman, bassist Vicente Archer and vibraphonist Simon Moullier. A couple of familiar stellar musicians from Music City, trumpeter Rod McGaha and drummer Marcus Finnie, also lend a hand.
Over the past decade, Tucker’s accomplishments have included co-writing the titular song on Keb’ Mo’s Grammy-winning 2019 album Oklahoma, earning a variety of track placements in film and TV and receiving multiple medals in the prestigious American Traditions Vocal Competition over multiple years. In January, Tucker took on yet another role. She’d already established an online presence as a social commentator with her podcast All Over the Place. When she and Bryant — whom you can hear hosting Real Jazz weekdays on SiriusXM — relocated to the West Coast, she became the weekday host of The Front Page on Radio Free KJLH, a station owned by Stevie Wonder. Tucker explains that Wonder’s son shared some of her All Over the Place commentary with the legendary musician, who was impressed with her work. She describes The Front Page as a kind of pre-morning show, airing from 4:30 to 6 a.m. Pacific time.
“When that alarm goes off at 2:30 a.m., that can be a challenge,” she says. “But I’m really enjoying it, and it’s given me exposure and visibility as well as an expanded audience for my music. It also lets me express myself on a variety of topics, and has led to some wonderful opportunities — the chance to meet people like Dick Van Dyke. We’re really enjoying being out here, but certainly look forward to saying hello to everyone when we come back to Nashville.”
