Despite the promise of their self-titled debut album,
Naomi
and
Wynonna Judd
struck pay dirt by issuing the bona fide classic
Why Not Me
, their sophomore outing from 1984. It was produced by
Brent Maher
and recorded with a small group of session players who were chosen as carefully as the songs were. From the opening track, the title cut, written by greats
Harlan Howard
,
Sonny Throckmorton
, and
Maher
, it is obvious what a showcase this is for
's stylized singing. Her big throaty voice rings clear and wide, pulling up every ounce of emotion from the song's root; her phrasing is perfect, and
's harmonies are golden; they soar, float, and lilt in contrast, complement, and counterpoint to her daughter's lead. The elder
Judd
is also a fine songwriter in that track two,
"Mr. Pain,"
is one of the finest songs on the set, full of beauty and vulnerability but ever present with hope. But it's not until track three,
"Drops of Water,"
that the album breaks wide open. Here
Wynonna
proves she can sing from the
rockabilly
side of
country
as well. From her gritty lead vocal to her sweet
swing
-style harmony with
and killer dobro runs from
Sonny Garrish
, the tune is irresistible.
"My Baby's Gone"
is another such moment, a tough, lean, bluesy shuffle graced with
Andrews Sisters
-styled harmonies and
guitar picking from
Don Potter
that turns this into a stomper. The
ballads
work too, however, on
"Sleeping Heart"
or the
blues
-rooted
"By Bye Baby Blues,"
which is penned by the
Howard
/
Throckmorton
team and is
music from the
Patsy Cline
fake book. The elements of
jazz
and early-'60s
countrypolitan
are impossible not to remember. But that's what makes
the Judds
so special -- they can sing it all. All they need is the material, and when they get it -- and they do here in spades -- they are virtually untouchable. With
's voice being one of the best in the history of the music, and
's harmonizing being literally the most unconventional, they are wall-to-wall original as an act. With the two closers,
"Endless Sleep,"
a solid rocker in the
"Heartbreak Hotel"
tradition, and the plaintive
"Mama He's Crazy,"
the duo accomplish the impossible: becoming a longstanding duo who consistently rode the top of the charts until
left for health reasons and who remained a bona fide
music act. Of all their recordings,
is their best-known, best-selling, and deservedly so. It's perfect. ~ Thom Jurek