Search - Wynonna Judd :: New Day Dawning

She rocks!

J. M. Zuurbier | Canada | 08/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The wait seemed to be long, between 1997's THE OTHER SIDE album and this one, 2000's NEW DAY DAWNING. In late 1999, a first single was released from the album, which was "Can't Nobody Love You (Like I Do)", a lush ballad which Wynonna transcends beautifully. It appeared to be a return to a more symplistic approach to her music, like on her 1996 album REVELATIONS or select tracks from THE OTHER SIDE like "Come Some Rainy Day", which used simple arrangements and subtle undertones through her vocals.Her 1997 album THE OTHER SIDE was poorly received by critics and fans alike, but it wasn't all bad. While this album did not spawn any major hits, it was received with open arms from fans and critics. The other single on the album was the uptempo "Going Nowhere". This album was certainly going places though. With any Wynonna album, there was diversity and cover songs, elements of many things which fans have come to expect and enjoy from her albums.She does a jaw dropping cover of Joni Mitchell's "Help Me", her vocals go from high to low almost effortlessly it seems. Another great cover song is "Tuff Enuff", originally by the Fabulous Thunderbirds, a steady bluesy rocker that Wy really sinks her teeth into and remaining faithful to the original. There is also a cover of Macy Gray's "I Can't Wait To Meet You", which closes out the album.The album features a variety of country, rock, blues, R&B and soul, with soul being the predominant sound throughout the album. There are some quiet reflective ballads, such as "Learning To Live With Love Again" and "Who I Am Trying To Fool". There's some great uptempo rockers which Wy fans have come to expect like "He Rocks", "Chain Reaction" and "Tuff Enuff". There's some soul/R&B on tracks liek "Lost Without You", "I've Got Your Love", "Help Me" and the title track. This is truly a great album creatively and Wynonna sounds comfortable in her vocals, she's never sounded better.This is definately a hallmark album in her career. It might not have spawned any hits, but country radio has usually been resistant towards her style and her music. The album also came with a limited edition Judds CD called BIG BANG BOOGIE which features the songs "Big Bang Boogie", "Stuck In Love", "That's What Makes You Strong" and "The 90's Was The 60's Turned Upside Down". Overall this album sits as one of her best!"