Wynonna successfully croons into R&B world

By GINA VIVINETTO

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 6, 2000

TAMPA -- Think Wynonna Judd is just a country music star? Think again. Her Sunday night concert at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center revealed Wynonna, as she now calls herself, also is a consummate R&B performer. Strutting onstage singing the Fabulous Thunderbirds' Tuff Enough, red-headed Wynonna, in shiny lavender jacket with matching purple and black guitar, kicked off an hour and a half of high-energy hi-jinks and flawless music. With wit and candor and the most gorgeous voice you ever heard, Wynonna and her backup band, which included three sassy, soulful backup singers who snapped, sashayed and pantomimed lyrics, delighted the near capacity crowd.

The 35-year-old singer relied on solo material, much of it from the recently released New Day Dawning, which, she says, showcases "the new, improved me." Wynonna performed that disc's title track, with its impossibly uplifting chorus, after disclosing to the crowd the whirlwind that has of late been her life.

The show's theme was resilience and inner strength. Wynonna was divorced last year from the father of her two young children. She's also on hiatus from the Judds' "Power to Change" reunion tour with mother Naomi, whose battle with hepatitis seems to be won. Repeatedly the singer praised the value of having "attitude" in this world, finding what you love and doing it.

The singer also performed stunning renditions of Eric Clapton's Change the World and a riveting cover of Help Me by Joni Mitchell, whom the notoriously rebellious Wynonna called one of her personal "sheroes."

The singer remained characteristically outspoken, even when talking tenderly of both mother Naomi and her younger sister, Hollywood actor Ashley Judd. Before singing a song celebrating sisterhood, Wynonna revealed that when Ashley was born, big sister thought she had come into the world just for her, to be her playmate. The introduction turned humorous when Wynonna confessed she spent much of her childhood beating up little "Prissy Butt."

Throughout the show Wynonna uninhibitedly danced, swiveling her hips, raising her eyes to the ceiling like a coquette. She handled the catcalls of love and lust -- from both men and women -- with affection and humor. Though Wynonna's voice is forceful, encompassing both a bluesy bite and trills sweet as nectar, it's her sheer charisma that makes fans feel like they've had their fill.

-- Contact Gina Vivinetto at gina@sptimes.com.