Slow Turning by John Hiatt

Slow Turning, John Hiatt's ninth album, came out on A&M in 1988 with Glyn Johns producing, and it's the sound of a songwriter's songwriter getting some dirt on his boots. Behind him, though they don't get a credit on the cover, are the Goners, and they give the songs a loose, rolling barroom swing that suits Hiatt's cracked, lived-in voice.

The title track became his only real radio hit, and later turned up in the film The Rookie. The rest of the record turned into a gold mine for other singers: Suzy Bogguss made "Drive South" a number-two country hit, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt both cut "Icy Blue Heart", Buddy Guy and Aaron Neville each covered "Feels Like Rain", and "Tennessee Plates" even found its way into the barroom scene of Thelma and Louise.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.