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Tammy Wynette: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978

SO ENTRENCHED is the tradition of slick showmanship and synthetic sincerity among buxom country goddesses that we should no longer be surprised or nauseated by it. Some — Dolly Parton is the obvious example — use it to hilarious advantage by taking it to ludicrous extremes, while others (Crystal Gayle, Emmylou) underplay it to acceptable limits. But for Tammy Wynette, however — constantly self-serious and grimly rehearsed to the point where you can see reflections in the polish — it is never less than an irritation and a distraction.

Total word count of piece: 366

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