Wynonna Judd Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
Wynonna Judd's excellent 2003 outing What the World Needs Now Is Love was steeped in rock & roll and country tunes done in her inimitable fashion. It reflected Judd's uncanny ability to sing new music with the passion, style, and finesse of the old gems. Country and pop radio being what they are -- namely, paranoid frightened defective computers with human faces -- all but ignored it. The radio and video channel worlds reflect the very definition of insanity: doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. Rather than trying something different by showcasing real quality and individualism, they become narrower and more paranoid with each passing year as they program recycled crap. Update 2009: Wynonna Judd is back with Sing: Chapter 1, a collection of standards and cover tunes that have inspired her throughout her life and career. And it's a stunner. Produced by Brent Maher and Don Potter, this set contains 12 tracks that range from country music standards to blues tunes, R&B nuggets, and American pop radio classics by the masters. The opener is a reading of the prewar 1932 finger-poppin' swinger "That's How Rhythm Was Born" (wherein Judd and Vicki Hampton do their own Andrews Sisters on the backing chorus). Judd delivers it effortlessly with all the good time verve -- and a smoking Stéphane Grappelli-inspired violin solo by Fats Kaplan -- the original contained, but with a bit more sass. She counters this with a gorgeous, deeply emotional, string-laden version of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," that is as dramatic and darkly dreamy as ANYTHING k.d. lang ever attempted. This is followed by a beautiful version of Sippie Wallace's "Women Be Wise," with all of its sassy natural inflections retained even as Judd updates the context, and then a version of Dave Bartholomew's New Orleans R&B stomper "I Hear You Knockin'" that gives the Dave Edmunds cover a run for its money -- and comes damn close to Fats Domino's. Other country classics include Merle Haggard's "Are the Good Times Really Over for Good," Stevie Ray Vaughan's "The House Is Rockin'" (and here it really does), and a completely shocking, utterly bereft deep soul-blues reading of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." Here, the simmering, smoldering eros in Judd's voice is tempered with genuine loneliness, accented by the nylon-string guitar and a convincing string arrangement. It's devastating. Add to this a shuffling bluesy rocker in Leiber & Stoller's "I'm a Woman," with some smoking Rhodes piano, and you have the uptempo part of the program covered. But add the three ballads that close the set -- the Bacharach/David "Anyone Who Had a Heart," the 1952 standard "When I Fall in Love," and the closing title track by Rodney Crowell -- and you have true classicism. This final track is a new pop country anthem; it underscores Judd's sheer individualism and style, and offers a complete illustration of her gifts as a singer. Sing: Chapter 1 is perfection in performance, material, production, and musical execution. Judd is reinventing herself AS herself: she is a country singer every bit the individual that Patsy Cline was, and is so iconoclastic with her phrasing, tension, shading, and drama that she is a truly unique stylist (a rarity in the 21st century). If you want to hear a singer's singer, one who can move you to the core of your being with her way of interpreting a song, Wynonna Judd's deeply moving, authentic Sing: Chapter 1 is a fine place to begin. This may be her finest hour. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime'
Release Date 9/27/2005
Tracks 27
Label Curb
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What The Critics Say
Contrary to what the title of Her Story: Scenes from a Lifetime suggests, this double-disc set is not an anthology, yet it is an overview of Wynonna Judd's career, finding her live in concert sifting through her back pages. To be exact, it captures her live at the Grand Ole Opry House on February 1, 2005, singing hits that she had as a member of the Judds and hits she had as a solo artist, covering a few songs along the way. All the songs follow roughly in chronological order, so the 27-track album functions as something like a musical autobiography. It's a clever idea and one that's well executed: the mood of her performances are appropriately warm, laid-back, and reflective. She's not rewriting her history; she's indulging in nostalgia, which means this isn't quite an essential record, but anybody who has followed her throughout her career will find it hard not to join Wynonna on her stroll down memory lane, since this has such relaxed, friendly vibe. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
'What the World Needs Now Is Love'
Release Date 8/5/2003
Tracks 14
Label Curb
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
What the World Needs Now Is Love may be titled after a Burt Bacharach and Hal David song, but it as far away from that song musically as one can get and still remain popular music. On her alleged return to her country roots, Wynonna Judd cannot resist the temptation to allow many forms of pop and rock into her sound. But that's fine; just fine. On her first studio outing in three years, Judd turns in a performance that is consistent all the way through, and one that seamlessly blends that astonishing voice of hers with banjos, strings, electric guitars, mandolins, pedal steels, pianos, and lots of drums. In addition to the heartbreakingly beautiful reunion of the singer with her mother Naomi ("Flies on the Butter"), Wynonna also collaborates with überguitarist Jeff Beck on the shimmering country version of the Mick Jones pop classic "I Want to Know What Love Is." This version may replace the original as its emotion is honestly wrought and pouring over the brim of the track's arrangement. Also featured here is her version of "Burning Love," the old Elvis nugget from the film Lilo & Stitch, and "You Are," from the Someone Like You soundtrack. There are contemporary arrangements galore, but Judd's voice carries them into the realms of history as one can hear voices as diverse as Connie Smith's and Aretha Franklin's in her delivery and phrasing. Tracks such as "Sometimes I Feel Like Elvis," and the rollicking barnburner "(No One's Gonna) Break Me Down," which could have been written by Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds, deliver intensity, honesty, and theatrics seamlessly. What the World Needs Now Is Love is a stellar outing from one of the most singular talents in the country music pantheon. If this doesn't cross over, then radio really is dead. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Southern gospel and soul, rockers, and ballads all grace Wynonna Judd's fifth release as a solo artist and her first as co-producer. One of the most recognizable voices in country music, the depth and range of her voice can be heard from the first track, the rhythmic "Going Nowhere," to the last, the soulful "I Can't Wait to Meet You." Fans will be delighted to hear Judd put her rock-influenced country-pop spin on Joni Mitchell's "Help Me." And of course, what's a good Wynonna album without her signature growl? As a bonus for Judd fans, New Day Dawning includes a special second CD, Big Bang Boogie, available in limited quantities with four new tracks from Wynonna and Naomi. The Judds reunion CD, however brief, is an exciting extra to the already electrifying New Day.... ~ Maria Konicki Dinoia, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The title says it all -- The Other Side finds Wynonna exploring new territory, repositioning herself as a rootsy blues-rocker in the vein of Bonnie Raitt. Although most of the material is undistinguished, Wynonna has a strong voice and a few songs have catchy hooks. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Wynonna had no problem with the spotlight; or, as the tabloids regularly revealed, with opening up her private life for all to poke through and ponder. For all of her cultivating of celebrity, her albums continued to turn down the lights and focus on the softer glow of emotional verities her albums. Revelations is another worthy solo effort by the younger member of the Judds, the mother-daughter duo through which she first found massive fame. Often somber, and just as often right on the money, she casts a blue tint to several reflective songs that examine spirituality (without sermons) and the quiet discoveries that come with mature relationships. Ballads like "Don't Look Back," "Love By Grace," and "My Angel Is Here" -- all album highlights -- prove how sympathetic her rich, expressive voice can be when applied to a well-written, sensitive lyric. As in the past, she's equally convincing on up-tempo, R&B-infused strutters, such as Delbert McClinton's "Somebody to Love You" or the gospel rave-up "Dance! Shout!" It's a mystery as to why she would include her version of "Free Bird," which previously was released as part of a Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute album. (Maybe someone should tell her that those people who yelled it out during encores were kidding.) Otherwise, Revelations is just that; a revealing next step by a country music star who understands the power of subtlety in an age that tends to prefer overstatement. ~ Michael McCall, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Wynonna Judd's second album, Tell Me Why, is a more confident and diverse collection than her debut. Drawing from sources as varied as gospel, folk, and blues-rock, Wynonna doesn't necessarily deliver a pure country album, but her blend of roots genres does qualify as a cleverly constructed contemporary country record. The selection of material is first-rate, but what makes Tell Me Why her best solo effort is how she ties all of the songs together with her assured -- and surprisingly subtle -- vocals. ~ Thom Owens, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Daughter Wynonna Judd stakes out her own territory with her self-titled debut. It's probably safe to say that she has more in her than most people guessed. From the tender "She Is His Only Need" to the Southern rock and soul of "No One Else on Earth," Wynonna sings with a smoldering sensuality that pulsed beneath the surface of the Judds' best records -- even "Live with Jesus" sounds sexy. After a few more albums like this, folks may not even remember the Judds. It also includes "I Saw the Light" and "My Strongest Weakness." ~ Brian Mansfield, All Music Guide
