Sing (Curb, 2009)

Wynonna is using the occasion of her 25 years in the music business to release a collection of music that has captured a significant memory in her life. She is hoping that it does the same for the listeners. The only problem is that often there isn't any special feeling that comes, either from her vocal presentation or from the musical arrangements.

True, there is just one truly horrible moment, the rendition of Hank Williams' "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Her rendition fells more like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Sigh." There is nothing mournful in her rendition.

The tunes come from many different genres, and Wynonna doesn't try to convert them all to country. In fact, her best moments are the songs that were originally rockers, and she treats them in the same vein like Stevie Ray Vaughan's "The House Is Rockin'" and the Dave Edmunds version of "I Hear You Knockin'."

On a few cuts, what's left to chew on is mostly her voice, and honestly Wynonna's pipes are in very good shape, and she isn't bashful about making that evident. There is some indication in the publicity for this project that there may be more volumes to follow. If so I hope she will next pick songs that can truly nail instead of the ones that nailed her.