While it's true that
Curb Records
just keeps churning out the same
Judds
material over and over again, as single-disc compilations go,
I Will Stand by You
, with its 14 tracks, offers something different in two respects. The first is sound; the remastering here is easily the best of any compilation released under the
' name; the second is that even though the expected hits are all here, it does include the first new material by the duo in over a decade in the title track and
"Back Home,"
which were cut for their reunion tour. The title track, co-written written by
Steven Lee Olsen
,
Robert Ellis Orrall
, and
Angelo Petraglia
, is the
at their most alien from themselves. Drenched in contemporary country production by
Don Potter
, the tracks' lyrics are a post-
Gretchen Wilson
anthem of seeming independence and strength, surrounded by a skittering blend of acoustic guitars, dobro, mandolin, a banjo, and thundering kick drums, that are all but replaced by blazing '70s arena rock electric guitars and pulsing keyboards as the track goes on; it nearly overwhelms the natural harmonic vocals of
Naomi
and
Wynonna
.
"Back Home"
(co-written by
Darrell Scott
Bruce Robison
) fares better. Though it too was recorded with
Potter
at the helm and bears traces of his excesses, it's a much more organic affair that offers the
' signature, symbiotic vocal interplay in the front of the track. The addition of the high lonesome harmony vocals by
Alison Krauss
is a nice touch to boot. Another plus is the inclusion of
"Flies on the Butter (You Can't Go Home Again),"
from
's album
What the World Needs Now
with
on harmony vocals. Those who've already purchased other
compilations, or the mammoth, three-disc
Collector's Edition Tin
, may be wary of making an album-priced purchase for two new songs, and they're right to be wary. That said,
Curb
is betting that the promise of new material is enough to make the faithful step up to the counter one more time. ~ Thom Jurek