Wynonna - Her Story: Scenes From A Lifetime - Music & Performance - CD

Wynonna Judd has battled her personal demons in public for more than 20 years. The 41-year-old singer grew up in the spotlight's glare, sharing the towering highs and bottom-scraping lows with her fans and at times the entire world. From health, family and marriage problems, to career ups and downs, the country diva's life has been an open book. Judd sets the record straight in her recently released memoir Coming Home To Myself and on her new live CD.

The double disc set, Her Story: Scenes From A Lifetime, was recorded at the Grand Ole Opry House, in Nashville, this past February. Wynonna takes the audience through her remarkable career, one song at a time. Judd has always had a powerhouse voice, but she's never sounded better than she does on inspiring numbers like "Dream Chaser," "Love Can Build A Bridge," "To Be Loved By You" and the show stopping "Peace In This House." The singer pours out her heart on the hanky worthy track (from the pens of Angela Kaset and Doug Gill).

Judd's between-song banter throughout the two discs is at times cute (brief exchanges with children in the audience), revealing (glimpses into her personal life) and sappy (when she talks about her mother Naomi). Disc one contains a bit too much talking, but Wy makes up for it with the material she sings. From the rocking "A Girls Night Out" and the sobering "Maybe Your Baby's Got The Blues," to the revved up "No One Else On Earth" and an emotion packed cover of Foreigner's "I Want To Know What Love Is," Wy delivers. The latter track is a master stroke; Judd totally owns the one-time pop hit.

Disc two is more of a rock/country/soul blend. Wynonna sings with a belly full of gravel on cuts like the bluesy "Don't You Throw That Mojo On Me" and the uplifting "People Get Ready." Covers of Tina Turner's "The Best" and Melissa Etheridge's soul-baring "I'm The Only One" bring deserved cheers from the crowd. "Sometimes I Feel Like Elvis" is a look at life behind the curtain of celebrity. Disc two closes with a new studio track, "Attitude." Co-written by Judd and John Rich, the song is a cross between Gretchen Wilson and Big & Rich. If this is Wynonna 's new direction, her next album is going to be amazing.

Live albums used to sound like they were recorded in a giant tin can. Not anymore. Her Story: Scenes From A Lifetime is as good as, if not better than, most studio albums. The mix makes you feel like you're right there in the front row. The concert is also available on DVD.

By Todd Sterling