Prime Cuts: Women Be Wise, Sing, That's How Rhythm was Born
Is Wynonna singing her kiss of death? In today's volatile market where an artist is only as famous as his or her latest hit, Wynonna is in some precarious position considering that her last hit was 2005's "Attitude" which only peaked at a paltry 40th position. Instead of releasing a brand new CD stocked with potential hits, Wynonna has released "Sing," a covers album (save for one the title track which is a new song from the pens of Rodney Crowell). It really makes avid fans wonder: is this Wynonna's last contractual record for Curb? Does this mean that Wynonna's reign on the country singles chart days is over? Commerciality aside, this is stellar record with a palette of well chosen songs some of which are culled from the margins of the American songbook while others have had their time in the spotlight. Most exquisite is Wynonna's trademark vocals: she can still lacerate with fire and stone, whisper with understated vulnerability and rock like she's the unequivocal Big Bluesy Momma of all time. Further, former Judds' masterminds, producers Brent Maher and Don Potter allow each track to bare their individuality rather than confine them all to a cookie-cutter genre.
Wynonna takes a dip in the swampy mire of the Delta with the blues swing of "That's How Rhythm was Born," giving this Boswell Sisters hit a new lease of life. Changing gears into some good time rock n' roll is Wynonna's take on Stevie Ray Vaugh's "This House's Rocking" which finds the lady percolating along a funky groove. Never tired of surprises, Bonnie Riatt's infectious "Women Be Wise" is a R&B tinged blues; listen especially to how the song starts with the plucking of some guitar nylons before bursting into an all-out warning to all women to keep an extra eye on their good lookin' mates. While staunch country fans would have "Are the Good Times Really Over" on repeat. This Merle Haggard original enjoys a rural charm when Wynonna waxes nostalgia: "I wish a buck was still silver/It was back when the country was strong/Back before Elvis; before the Vietnam War came along/Before The Beatles and "Yesterday"/When a man could still work, and still would/Is the best of the free life behind us now?"
On the album's quieter moments, nothing is more majestic than Wynonna's rendition of the Burt Bacharach classic "Anyone Who Has a Heart." Never hurried, Wynonna takes her time to nuance each word with verve and meaning. Backed by a bevy of strings, Wynonna's performance here is exquisite. As Wynonna once said that Nat King Cole's "When I Fall in Love" is one of her top 5 favorites and she shows with her affecting delivery. Though Wynonna does not possess the tear-stained distinctive of Tammy Wynette on the first lady's signature tune "Till I Get It Right," Wynonna still demonstrates that when it comes to old fashioned country heartbreak she still has the chomps. The newly composed "Sing," a gorgeous testimony of the therapeutic power of music, starts off slow before swelling triumphantly in the chorus.
This is a multifarious affair: never restricted to an era or genre of songs, Wynonna presents a buffet of songs; songs that meant something to her over the years. Glad to say they are well chosen and in Wynonna's deft hands, they sound like they were written just for the diva. Nevertheless, in this competitive age, let's hope Curb will just let Wynonna sing regardless of whether this CD generates hits or not.