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
Wynonna Judd'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
Naomi'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
Naomi 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
country 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/
Maher team and is
country 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
Wynonna's voice being one of the best in the history of the music, and
Naomi'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
Naomi left for health reasons and who remained a bona fide
country music act. Of all their recordings,
Why Not Me is their best-known, best-selling, and deservedly so. It's perfect. ~ Thom Jurek
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