Wynonna : by Wynonna Judd

Review; By GoldenGateGirl "S* Star" (Sacramento, CA)

I bought this CD about 10 years ago and it's grown on me. I listen to the nuances and inflections in Wynonna's voice and I think she is one of the best country vocalists around today. I'll review each song individually since they are all that special.

1. What It Takes- Wynonna sounds grounded and confident singing about maintaining personal happiness and peace of mind. She sounds wise and determined.

2. She Is His Only Need- A very endearing and moving song about what a man will do for love. Wynonna's a wonderful storyteller and she delivers the song with sensitivity and displays that country soul in her voice.

3. I Saw The Light- I like Wynonna's interpretation of this song because she sounds surprisingly upbeat, spunky and mischievious in her response to a cheating boyfriend. I got the impression Wynonna's take on this song is about a woman who keeps her dignity intact and remains true to who she is after her man has failed her.

4. My Strongest Weakness- This displays Wynonna's tender side. Here is a woman who is asking God to help her heal her broken heart after her beloved betrayed and walked out on her.

5. When I Reach The Place I'm Goin'- Here momma Naomi teams up with Wynonna to sing a great song. The song has a lot of spiritual connotations attached to it. It can be interpreted many ways because it implies somebody finding meaning in their Earthly journey or it could be seen as a gospelish ballad.

6. No One Else On Earth- I really love this song because it is Wynonna at her rousing best. You can hear all the passion, letting her guard down and sexual tension in this song.

7. It's Never Easy To Say Goodbye- It's hard not to get choked up when listening to this song about letting go of the ones you love. I like how she compared saying goodbye to a person to the death of someone dear in your heart. This shows Wynonna and her songwriter's breadth of emotion.

8. A Little Bit Of Love Goes A Long, Long Way- This is the only song I would say is out of place. Wynonna's soulful and rich voice doesn't always match up with the sometimes lighthearted and whimsical lyrics to this song. She still gave it her best though.

9. All Of That Love From Here- I thought this was a real sweet song providing great images of the South, but it sounds a bit unrealistic for the South in the 1990's. Unless Wynonna's singing about another era in time. It's just that the visuals of the old man in the cotton field putting the girl's belongings in her trunk sounds like something of yesteryear. When I hear of Southern cottonfields I can't help but associate with poor black people and at first the song rubbed me the wrong way because I thought the song was implying that those were the good ole days. Based on what I've seen about Wynonna, she looks like an open minded person and didn't think this was some kind of underhanded prejudiced comment.

10. Live With Jesus- This song is interesting because it is so short, but expressive in its 2:18 minutes running. The song's subject is obvious based on the title. It is about a woman knowing she'll be with Jesus in the end after all the trials and tribulations. It is gospel, country, rock and blues all in one.

In short, that is how diverse and interesting Wynonna's voice is. She is very underrated in country music because she does her own thing and because she doesn't lose weight to stay on top. I think country music needs Wynonna right now in the sea of pop country dollies with limited talents as vocalists.