Justin Townes Earle Let’s Wanda Be Wanda in “Unfinished Business”
Let’s be honest. The chances of Wanda Jackson putting out some groundbreaking, landmark album these days are slim. Her immeasurable influence spanning country, rockabilly, and rock and roll is undeniable. But at age 75, you’re not looking for something sensational, you’re just looking for something solid, something that rekindles the memories of her past magic and imparts some new memories along the way.
Same thing goes for these celebrity producerships that seem to be all the rage in music these days. You just want them to work. Hey, I’m one of the first to fall for them hook, line, and sinker. I see a high-caliber producer name attached to some upcoming project and my music pants start going crazy, and certainly that was the case when I heard Justin Townes Earle was producing Wanda’s Unfinished Business. But really, what is the success rate of these celebrity producer collaborations? Are big name musicians really qualified to be producers, or is this all marketing?
There’s been some hits with this formula, like Jack White’s work with Loretta Lynn on the album Van Lear Rose. And there’s been some, well, not hits, like when Jack White hooked up with Wanda on her last album The Party Ain’t Over. The result was decent, but a little too much Jack and not enough Wanda.
A good producer’s job is not to be noticed, but to get you to notice the talents of whoever they’re producing. And that’s what Justin Townes Earle does in Unfinished Business. He gets the hell out of the way and let’s Wanda Jackson do her thing, while still lending a creative and influential hand.
Wanda Jackson’s greatest asset is her voice. Like a brand new switchblade polished with Windex, it cuts with class. At 75, her voice is probably going to show some age and we can accept that, if not even enjoy its character in patches. Possibly the reason Jack White felt inclined to bring in bellowing horn sections on the last album was possibly to bolster, or bury Wanda’s voice from fear of it showing its age. But what Jack’s approach did was suffocate what makes Wanda special.
With Unfinished Business, instead of setting up a one band, one formula approach for most of the album, Justin Townes Earle approached each song individually, and this is where this album shines: the customized treatment for each track that creates a brilliant contrast of moods. Where Jack White seemed wanting to make a statement through Wanda, Justin Townes Earle just wanted to have fun.
If Wanda Jackson’s greatest asset is her voice, her second is her coolness and style. Earle was wise to pick up on that and utilize that in composition, like in the first track “Tore Down”. Bringing in backup singers for Wanda’s version of the Etta James number “Pushover” was a brilliant call that also called on Wanda Jackson’s cool factor.
Great, great song selection on this album. “It’s All Over Now”, a song first cut by the Valentino’s that then went on to be The Rolling Stone’s first #1 hit in 1964 was an excellent selection for the track list. Lower Broadway revivalist Greg Garing’s “Down Past The Bottom” may be the best track on the album.
Justin Townes Earle may have made an effort to make sure this album wasn’t all about him, but he’s far from sitting in the background. Wanda’s hard country version of Justin’s “What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome” is another standout track. And Earle shares the mic with Wanda in the somber duet, “Am I Even A Memory?”, where once again he does a great job playing the part instead of trying to stamp his signature on the song.
I’m not sure of the epicness yearned for in the ending track “California Stars” is captured, but the song is solid nonetheless. And I seem to always want to hear more of the Wanda rockabilly growl than what I get on her albums. But Unfinished Business touches on a tremendous amount of textures, styles, and moods, including lots of country and steel guitar, which is only appropriate because of Wanda’s wild, varying influence on American music. And most importantly, Unfinished Business let’s Wanda be Wanda.
As far as I’m concerned, Wanda Jackson has no “unfinished business” to attend to. She’s given her heart and soul to the music, and the music is better off because of it. She’s got nothing to prove, but she proves it anyway in Unfinished Business. And so does Justin Townes Earle.
1 3/4 of 2 guns up.
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November 17, 2012 @ 2:05 pm
I’m really digging that new song wit JTE. SOLID!
We are making her new shirts this week to celebrate.
November 17, 2012 @ 2:08 pm
Agree. I think JTE did a better job with “Unfinished Business” than Jack White did with “The Party Ain’t Over.”
November 17, 2012 @ 4:27 pm
“Am I Even a Memory” is a beautiful, wistful song. Who is that young woman with Justin Townes Earle, by the way? She’s gorgeous!
“Tore Down” is a nice throwback to 60’s rock and roll, though the video in my opinion is ill-advised.
November 17, 2012 @ 6:24 pm
That’s one of Justin Townes Earle’s bits. He always has a pretty girl on his arm, and we never know who they are (or at least I don’t).
November 17, 2012 @ 6:29 pm
Amanda Shires on the Good Life album cover, I believe.
November 18, 2012 @ 12:15 pm
I only know this because I read an article about the video… but the woman is Mindy White of a band called States. And I am pretty sure that is Amanda on THe Good Life. Looks like her, anyhow.
November 18, 2012 @ 10:53 pm
I just checked up some pictures of Mindy White, and she looks very different normally than she does in this video. It’s amazing how changing your hairstyle and hair color can totally change your whole appearance!
November 17, 2012 @ 6:24 pm
Looks like J.D. Wilkes has got a part in the I’m Tore Down Video.
The song was originally done by legendary Texas bluesman Freddie King. Here’s a cool video of the song from a ’60s TV show recorded in Dallas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHKcbyJntyM
I see that there’s a Steve Earle song (Graveyard Shift) on the album, too. It’s from Steve’s bluegrass album The Mountain (with Del McCoury band), although the arrangement on Unfinished Business is more straight up blues. I like it.
November 17, 2012 @ 8:25 pm
A good job by both of them. Have you heard the new American Aquarium album produced by Jason Isbell? I like it a lot. His first producing role that I’m aware of.
November 17, 2012 @ 9:37 pm
Very nice write-up, Trig. 🙂 I still think ‘The Party Ain’t Over’ is fun, but in retrospect it feels like a novelty; I find ‘Unfinished Business’ far more satisfying, both emotionally and in its mix of sounds.
My favorite tracks? “Pushover,” definitely… Plus “Old Weakness,” which I first heard covered by Patty Loveless in 1994 (on ‘When Fallen Angels Fly’), and “Two Hands” (great gospel rave-up).
Oddly enough, the track I’d been looking forward to most is the one that took some time to grow on me; I’m so used to hearing “California Stars” on Billy Bragg & Wilco’s ‘Mermaid Avenue’ (1998) that it’s kinda weird hearing anybody but Jeff Tweedy sing it, but Wanda certainly sounds like she had fun with it.
November 18, 2012 @ 11:23 am
Amen.