Customer Reviews

Tell Me Why

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Tell Me Why" is the best album thus far from this red headed diva. The title track is the way I like to hear her. She sounds country and not her R&B stuff which I don't care for. She is more country here than on her last couple of CDs (Revelations & The Other Side).

Other standout songs here are "Father Sun", "Just Like New", "I Just Drove By" and "That Was Yesterday", which was written by the talented Naomi Judd, Wy's mother. If you want the very best Wynonna has to offer as a single artist, buy this terrific album.

When your debut albums lands critical acclaim, #1 singles, sells millions, and will live forever you have that painstaking task of following it up...but, some fail and some succeed.

Wynonna (as she is NOW know) did just that...hot off the heals of her smash debut, Tell Me Why takes a huge direction change from the Wynonna we knew as Wynonna Judd. Relinquished of the duties of satisfying traditionalists, Wynonna dug into 1993 with a set that contained blues, country, rock, and soul.

Tell Me Why produced 4 top 10 songs. From the blues rocker, That Was Yesterday (penned by Mama Judd) to the rockers Rock Bottom, an anthom for most of us and Girls With Guitars. Wynonna always splashes us with a bit of her balladry and the song Is It Over Yet? A song so moving it just leaves you in awe!

Wynonna has such a powerful voice you have to wonder if the spunk of Elvis and the soul of Patsy Cline were not wrapped up in her.

Artists come and go, but those with talent have staying power, thank god Wynonna has the talent. She will be here for many more landmark albums like Tell Me Why.

I purchased this album in 1993 when it came out. I was familiar with the Judds and loved their music but didn't think to take Wynonna at her own. I then saw a live concert that played on PBS, promoting her Tell Me Why album and let me say, IT ENTERTAINED ME! The next day, I went out and bought the album. It sounded just like the concert. Very well put together! I then worked my way backwards and bought her self titled Wynonna. Ever since, I've been a real BIG fan. Nothing she does disappoints me. That's rare with music artists these days.

Anybody who has read my music reviews knows that I love the upbeat songs, and Wy's done it with this album. You pop the cd in your player and say hey Wy, "Tell Me Why" I bought this CD. She'll answer you with a very upbeat song.

Favorite Upbeat Songs on this CD include: Tell Me Why Rock Bottom Let's Make a baby king Father Sun Girls with Guitars

Now there are some that are slower but thats ok, if they hit a string inside. Those include: Only Love Is it Over yet That was Yesterday

Personally I believe that a CD has to have at least a minimum of three great songs before you should buy it, this on has: 8 out of 10 it's well worth my money.

"Tell Me Why" is far and away the very best of Wynonna's solo releases. This CD reads almost like a greatest hits package, and it finds Wynonna at the highest point to date in her solo career. She had finally come into her own with a flawless collection of songs. "Tell Me Why" includes five TOP FIVE radio hits: the invigorating title track, the soaring "Is It Over Yet", the number one smash "Only Love", the bluesy bouncer "Rock Bottom", and the saucy Wynonna anthem "Girls With Guitars" not to mention a menagerie of pricless album cuts. Another credit to "Tell Me Why"'s magic is the fact that it won Wynonna the elusive Academy of Country Music's Top Female Vocalist Award in 1994 as well as earning her a prestigious Grammy nomination. "Tell Me Why" also features Naomi Judd's songwriting talets and unique harmonies. This CD got me into country music 6 years ago, and I have been there ever since! ANY Music lover can appreciate this record!!

I must say that this cd is my favorite of all time. I have owned it for 6 years and still thoroughly enjoy every song when I listen to it. The reason is that this cd has so much soul and genuine emotion and Wy's amazing voice pulls the feeling out of every song, even though the styles of the songs vary greatly. Wy goes from styles inspired by B.B. King and Aretha to James Taylor to Sheryl Crow (who wrote "Father Sun") to revisiting the Judds sound on "I Just Drove By." This album is the best of Wy's solo projects, with "Wynonna" coming in a close second." With guest vocals from Mom Naomi Judd and Lyle Lovett, songs written by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Jesse Winchester, and production by Tony Brown (Elvis' former piano player), this album showcases Wy's amazing voice and ability to tackle a wide range of material like no other and earns her a throne right between Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield. This song is a must for any fan of 60's soul, 70's country-rock, or music for that matter.

TELL ME WHY, Wynonna's sophomore solo album, takes more risks and enters more progressive territory than her previous WYNONNA, or the perfect harmony-driven Judds releases. Wynonna is a blues rocker caught in the body of a country singer, with roots closer to Memphis than Nashville, and aspirations to be Bonnie Raitt as strong as those to be Patsy Cline. Wynonna successfully combines her influences and talents, establishing herself as one of the better voices on the pop scene. From the slick, infectuous title track, with its warm vocal gymnastics, to the swinging, upbeat "Father Sun" and driving, gospel-based, growling R&B cuts like "Let's Make A Baby King" and "Rock Bottom," diversity rules TELL ME WHY. Mary-Chapin Carpenter's "Girls With Guitars" is a fun feminist rocker. "Is It Over Yet" and "Only Love" are powerful ballads--the latter standing as a focused musical and lyrical statement, perfectly produced and performed. But it is the gutsy, saucy "That Was Yesterday," written by mama Naomi, that is Wynonna's tour-de-force. The well-crafted blues song is sung with style and subtle shadings, reinforcing Wynonna'sstanding as a mature and potent vocalist. There's punch and kick in Wynonna's blend of country, rock and blues, displaying an earthiness and grittiness rare among women in country music.

To be honest, growing up in the 80s and coming from a home where country was on every radio, I wasn't terribly familiar with The Judds. While in college in the early 90s, I heard that Wynonna went solo, and "No One Else On Earth" made me take an interest in her music. I bought the first CD and enjoyed it - as it still had a tinge of country mixed with a sound that made it her own, unique style.

When "Tell Me Why" hit the scene, I picked it up - but wasn't sure what to expect. After listening to every track on the CD, I was absolutely blown away. Wynonna's work with producer Tony Brown produced what I consider to be her two best albums - "Wynonna" and "Tell Me Why." Later albums, such as "revelations" and "Other Side" never had the same spark as her first two endeavors at MCA, although they produced singles that did well on radio.

Each song on "Tell Me Why" brings something special to the mix, as each has its own unique characteristics. From the upbeat cover single to the smooth melodies of "Only Love", the CD makes a statement that helped redefine country music in the early 1990s. Sheryl Crow's "Father Sun", Kimmie Rhodes' "Just Like New" and Jesse Winchester's "Let's Make a Baby King" are also standouts on a sophomore effort that will stand the test of time.

Wy (Wynonna) covers the full range and depth of her talents in this remarkable CD. From the upbeat/uptempo "Girls with Guitars" to the deep bluesy ballad "That was Yesterday", Wy keeps your foot tapping and your inner rhythm fully charged and entertained.

I never paid too much attention to Wynonna Judd until her first solo album came out in 1992 and "No One Else On Earth" got some crossover airplay on the pop station I listened to at the time. I was not a fan of country music before that, but I figured if my favorite radio station was playing her, I should give her a chance, and I'm glad I did. "Tell Me Why" came out not long after that, my mom picked up a copy of the cassette tape, and we enjoyed listening to it together. My two favorite songs on the album: the title song, which reminds me a lot of "I Saw The Light" from her solo debut and also had some minor crossover success on the AC and pop charts, and "Is It Over Yet," one of the most moving heartbreak ballads ever written - even thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. "Only Love" is a beautifully written ballad which was also a successful single, and "Girls With Guitars" delighted me from the moment I first saw Wy perform it on TV, especially when I found out it was written by Mary-Chapin Carpenter, whom I also adored. It also features backup vocals by Lyle Lovett and Wy's own mama Naomi. Speaking of Naomi, her composition "That Was Yesterday" is turned into the ultimate sultry, steamy torch song here. "Rock Bottom" is a rockin' tune with inspirational lyrics, as Wynonna reminds us that "A dead-end street is just a place to turn around." And imagine my surprise to find out some years later that the same Sheryl Crow who was burning up the charts with "All I Wanna Do" and "Strong Enough" in 1994-95 wrote "Father Sun"! Listening to it now, "Father Sun" really does sound like a Sheryl Crow song. "Let's Make A Baby King" is corny, yes - until Wy sings the final verse and gets to the heart of what the song is all about. I love the high note she hits at the end of that song too! I can say that the one song on the album I don't really care for is "Just Like New" - the idea of a story-song about Elvis Presley and a car never really impressed me. Despite that one song, though, this is easily a five-star album. Wynonna has an instantly recognizable voice that can be gruff and rough, or tender and full of emotion, when it needs to be. Simply put, Wynonna can sing anything, and sing it well. This album is testament to her talent. She may not be setting the charts on fire anymore, but she can still teach today's crop of young country chanteuses how it's done. Wy settle for less?