Album Review: Wynonna Judd’s ‘Wynonna & The Big Noise’

On Wynonna & The Big Noise, it’s all about the music. There was no consideration about what contemporary country radio would or wouldn’t play on this disc.

Written by Chuck Dauphin
Album Review: Wynonna Judd’s ‘Wynonna & The Big Noise’

Wynonna Judd has had a lot of musical identities over the years. There was the sweet and traditional sounds of the early years – as evidenced by The Judds. Then, you have the contemporary sheen of such polished hits as “She Is His Only Need” and “No One Else On Earth,” and the unabashed R&B boogie of such projects as 1996’s Revelations.

Never before has the singer put all of those directions on one record as solidly as she does here – with her band The Big Noise. Cactus Moser, who is the drummer for the band (and Wynonna’s husband / producer)  gave the vocalist the room to stretch in ways that she never has before and use her voice for the good of song.

Because, on Wynonna & The Big Noise – it’s all about the music. There was no consideration about what contemporary country radio would or wouldn’t play on this disc. Wynonna’s voice grabs ahold of these lyrics and simply slays / seduces / captivates each line as she never has before.

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The disc kicks off with the freeing sounds of “Ain’t No Thing,” and takes many style shifts and changes throughout, with her scoring on each one. “Cool Ya” is pure fun, and if you somehow miss the flirtatious feel of “You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast” and the romance of “You Are So Beautiful,” you simply need to have your ears examined. The emotion could not be any more plain.

The early era of the singer comes to light on tracks like “Jesus And A Jukebox,” the inspiring “Something You Can’t Live Without,” and the absolute power of “Things That I Lean On.” Jason Isbell lends his harmomies on the latter, but make no mistake about it – this is Wynonna’s show. And, lyrically, the singer manages to not only sing the words of those songs – she is the lyrics of those songs – which makes the music all the more powerful.

You might not hear Wynonna & The Big Noise on mainstream Country radio anytime soon, but in a sense, that makes it all the more enlightening. When you listen to this album, you drink in the music as if it’s your own personal meeting with the singer. And, what could be any cooler than that?