Record Reviews

WYNONNA

Album: “Wynonna & The Big Noise”

Grade: B

Of course, Wynonna is ready to make some big noise. It’s been 13 years since her last album of new material. But “Wynonna & The Big Noise” (Curb) is also a debut for her and her new band, which includes her husband-producer, Cactus Moser, on drums, and it shows.

She has a new approach to country here – one that is obviously totally different to the sweet sound she had with her mama in The Judds, but also different from her solo material where she was trying to figure out where she fit in the world of country.

Now, she doesn’t seem to care. The big voice is still there – deep, pure and throaty enough to growl at the drop of a hat – and she wraps it around whatever style she is feeling.

She matches up well with Susan Tedeschi on the blues rocker “Ain’t No Thing,” belting out big notes while Tedeschi offers soulful harmonies. Her collaboration with Tedeschi’s husband, Derek Trucks, is just as potent, with Wynonna’s soaring delivery pairing well with Trucks’ bluesy, wailing guitar.

Wynonna finds the groove on “Staying in Love” from R&B singer Raphael Saadiq, playing up the rock edge and showing off her soulful falsetto. She even channels late-’70s Carly Simon on “I Can See Everything” with Timothy B. Schmit, who wrote the song when he was with Poco.

But Wynonna is still best when she’s taking a pretty folk song to church, like she does on the gorgeous “Things That I Lean On” with Jason Isbell or the soothing “Jesus and a Jukebox.”

—Glenn Gamboa, Newsday

Vince Gill

Album: “Down to My Last Bad Habit”

Grade: A

Vince Gill can pretty much do it all. When he started, it was all about his poignant, emotional vocals. In recent years, he has impressed with his guitar work. On his new album, “Down to My Last Bad Habit” (MCA Nashville), he provides plenty of both, but also a reminder of how strong he is as a songwriter.

The title track is a stunner, a gorgeous slice of country rock that sounds like it could have come from The Eagles circa “The Long Run,” with Gill’s voice splitting the difference between Glenn Frey cool and Don Henley plaintive.

On the rollicking “Me and My Girl,” the Oklahoma native adopts a bit of Lyle Lovett’s East Texas groove, spicing things up with the occasional guitar solo. With “I’ll Be Waiting for You,” his duet with newcomer Cam, Gill practically dares country radio to pass up his stately, heart-wrenching ballad, while the lovely “Sad One Comin’ On” pays perfect tribute to the late George Jones in honky-tonk ballad style.

“Down to My Last Habit” finds Gill at the top of his game, once again energizing nearly every style of country music.

—Glenn Gamboa, Newsday