“Half a Heart” is a straightforward country number that is one of two tunes on which Marty collaborated with the then very popular songwriter Kostas. It really should have been released as a single. “Paint The Town Tonight” with its heavy emphasis on the Telecaster and steel guitar is a Stuart original composition that is reminiscent of Buck Owens. “I’m Blue, I’m Lonesome” which opens the album was written by Bill Monroe and Hank Williams and serves as notice to the listener that Marty Stuart was more than just a mere hillbilly rocker, with a deep respect for country music’s heritage.

It just underscores how difficult it can be to put one’s own mark on an iconic figure’s song, though the intent seems to be to pay tribute to Cash, rather than to reinterpret his work. It is a decent performance but even those unfamiliar with the original will instantly recognize it as a Johnny Cash song. This time he chose to cover “Blue Train”. Most Stuart albums include a Johnny Cash tune, and Tempted is no exception. With the exception of the title track, the real meat of this collection is in the album cuts. It too reached the Top 10, topping out at #7. “Burn Me Down”, a rockabilly number written by Eddie Miller was the album’s fourth and final single. It is my favorite of all of Marty’s mainstream singles. Much better is the title track, another Stuart-Kennerley composition, which reached #5, becoming Marty’s highest charting single as a solo artist. I’ve always found the song a bit lacking in energy and it’s my least favorite track on the album. It just missed the Top 10, peaking at #12. He stumbled slightly with the next release, the ballad “Till I Found You”, which was written by Paul Kennerley and Hank DeVito. It was, in fact, Marty’s first Top 10 since “Hillbilly Rock” and his second Top 10 overall. It follows the same template as “Hillbilly Rock” and matched that song’s chart performance, peaking at #8. The first single “Little Things” was written by Marty and Paul Kennerley. It is a little less rockabilly-oriented than Hillbilly Rock, with more emphasis on harmonies and more prominent use of the steel guitar.

Like its predecessor, Tempted was produced by Richard Bennett and Tony Brown, and contained a balance of some of Marty’s original compositions and some well-chosen covers that paid homage to country music’s past. Marty Stuart’s second release for MCA was released in January 1991.

Marty stuart till i found you