Wynonna Judd Joined by Jason Isbell on “Things That I Lean On”
Don’t think of it as Jason Isbell going mainstream, think about it as Wynonna Judd going Americana.
When Wynonna set out to record her upcoming album Wynonna & The Big Noise coming February 12th, she put herself in the hands of husband and producer Cactus Moser, who decided to approach the album by recording all the tracks live with a stripped down backing band and little overdubbing. Wynonna was hesitant and nervous at first, and you can see that in the live video they just released for the song “Things That I Lean On.” But the result is an organic and authentic treatment to songs that were carefully selected, and written by notable songwriters like Julie Miller, Travis Meadows, and Chris Stapleton.
“Things That I Lean On” begins by acquiescing to the frailties of being human, and then singing the praises of the gifts life bestows to overcome them. Written by Travis Meadows and Daniel Sanders, it is a perfect song for the conditions Cactus Moser created to record in. Though it’s not her own song, the love and honesty Wynonna sings with let’s you know it is still very personal and true to her experience, and it’s only appropriate the Jason Isbell would come in right as the yearning for sobriety is mentioned. He too can identify with being in over your head, but finding the things one needs to lift yourself up.
Similar to what country legend Don Williams did for his last album Reflections, Wynonna allowed cameras into the studio to capture the songs as they were recorded live, and multiple videos similar to the one for “Things That I Lean On” have been released. Also appearing as guests on Wynonna & The Big Noise are Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and Timothy B. Schmit from The Eagles.
Though choosing Isbell may seem like a left field pick on paper, hearing the finished product, it makes perfect sense why Wynonna felt Isbell would be right for the part, and the results can’t be questioned. It makes one excited to hear the rest of Wynonna’s new record, and just like other artists such as Lee Ann Womack and Emmylou Harris, perhaps Wynonna Judd is the next to look towards the more open arms and mature audience of Americana for where her career is headed. If she continues to deliver songs like “Things That I Lean On,” she will be quite welcome.
January 25, 2016 @ 7:53 pm
Really sweet song. Beautiful arrangement. The video is pretty but it’s kind of funny that they chose not to show the fiddles or mandolins or……. Jason Freakin Isbell. Also am I crazy or does the guitarist switch to left-handed in the last shot? Lol
Video notwithstanding, I hope there’s more like this on the way!
January 25, 2016 @ 8:13 pm
I think the video shows the actual track being recorded in the studio, and naturally you would want to overdub the additional instrumentation (and vocal). If you look there’s multiple videos like this for other tracks on the album.
January 25, 2016 @ 7:53 pm
Agreed. Wynonna has always had a powerful voice and the minimal instrumentation brings that out even better. A smooth song even for someone as nonreligious as I am, and I can appreciate something well stated. I feel inclined to buy the album as well. Good stuff.
January 25, 2016 @ 8:21 pm
The last time I bought or even listened to a Wy album was 1996’s Revelations. Side note: I once danced with her on stage in Wheeling, WV in 1995 during “A Little Bit of Love.”
I love the song. Hopefully, the album follows suit. A Wy album on my radar would be something unpredictable.
January 26, 2016 @ 9:58 am
“The last time I bought or even listened to a Wy album was 1996”™s Revelations.”
That’s the last one I bought too, but I did get to check out the one she did after that (1997’s ‘The Other Side’) and I wasn’t impressed with it at all. :\
I really like this song, though — like the Tim McGraw one yesterday, it’s another “list” but a sweetly understated one that mostly avoids cliche` (in this case, the narrator’s various sources of guidance and spiritual renewal seem to come from a personal and believable place). 🙂
January 25, 2016 @ 8:52 pm
can definitely hear the “Travis meadows” songwriting flavor In this. That man is amazing!
January 25, 2016 @ 8:53 pm
Wow, I love this song! I have always loved Wynona, she has one of the most pure country voices in my opinion. She just kind of fell off the map after huge initial solo success. I am guessing that a lot of her falling out of favor had to do with her personal life and a lot of the stuff that went on. I am glad that she appears to be doing well and thrilled that she is cutting songs like this, that are able to show how smooth and amazing her voice is. Hoping the rest of the album follow suit. I would love to see her put out an album that is good enough to have her at awards shows.
January 25, 2016 @ 9:05 pm
That blend of voices–oh my dear lord. I hope they start recording more material together. This song reminds me of the way David Nail and Sarah Buxton go together.
January 25, 2016 @ 9:12 pm
What’s the matter couldn’t he get somebody talented?
January 27, 2016 @ 7:21 am
Seeing as how it’s Wynonna’s album, I was wondering if SHE couldn’t get somebody talented to duet with. Musta settled for Isbell.
January 25, 2016 @ 9:17 pm
Great song and a very impressive vocal performance. Wynonna is one of the very best pure country vocalists in history dating from the very beginning of the Judds run. It’s too bad other issues have seemed to sideline her recording career in recent years.
January 26, 2016 @ 1:22 pm
Not the least of which being that she just isn’t all that friendly, and that’s putting it lightly…
January 25, 2016 @ 10:42 pm
Good song, but the instrumentation seems rather sparse. I suppose that’s the point of Americana-style production, though…
My favorite Wynonna song remains her 1992 hit “She Is His Only Need”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7sVOg4EWzA
I especially love how the song emphasizes that the husband worked overtime to afford to buy her wife all of those gifts, instead of just paying for it out of an endless vat of money. It truly embodies the blue-collar heart of country music.
January 26, 2016 @ 5:22 pm
Odd you mention “She Is His Only Need” because that song’s instrumentation is even more sparse!
Love this new song. The music compliments the performance and message perfectly. Less is more in this case.
January 26, 2016 @ 10:36 pm
That’s a fair point. I think that the loudness of Wynonna’s voice in “Things I Lean On” probably makes the instrumentation sound sparse by comparison.
Perhaps my problem with the production has more to do with the monotonous and austere nature of the instrumentation. “She Is His Only Need”, on the other hand, featured multiple instruments prominently playing a gorgeous, “wistful” melody.
January 26, 2016 @ 6:26 am
Very nice. This is probably the first Wynonna song in 20 years that I can honestly say that I really like.
January 26, 2016 @ 6:50 am
Unfortunately, based on the songs from the album that are available for preview on iTunes, this is going to be a very hit or miss album. There’s one nice track called “Jesus and a Jukebox”, but aside from this one, there’s nothing to get excited about.
January 26, 2016 @ 7:41 am
Very nice. Melodically, it reminds me a little of Lee Ann Womack’s version of Send It On Down.
The Julie Miller penned song is You Make My Heart Beat Too Fast from the first Buddy and Julie album. I watched/listened to the video of the Wynonna version. The original is more of a grinding, slow burn rocker. I’d say Wynonna’s version is swampier. I can’t say I prefer it to the original, but I do like it a lot.
There’s also a video for Ain’t No Thing, which I guess Chris Stapleton co-wrote. More swamp. Blues rocker. Fun song.
January 26, 2016 @ 8:38 am
Yes, and I’ll also note that Bucky Covington recorded a version of “Ain’t No Thing” way back in 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPLoXGCgCZI
January 26, 2016 @ 8:24 am
Weird, I read Deion Sanders instead of Daniel Sanders…
January 26, 2016 @ 11:28 am
As I’ve commented in another thread , this is one of the best songs I’ve come across in ages . So is the marriage of the song to the performance . I love that Wynonna ‘s vocals are SO sympathetic to the lyric and that she didn’t use this as a vehicle to showcase HERSELF but to showcase the substance of the material . The restraint in her delivery is the difference between this being thoughtful , emotional and reflective observation and an over-the-top exercise in vocal pyrotechnics such as we might have gotten from a ‘mainstream’ vocalist . The arrangement and the production are so powerful in their recognition of the same fact …its about the LYRIC . This is so reminiscent of the trilogy of albums Tom Jones has released in the last 5 years .These are three of the BEST records around , IMHO , because a GREAT voice serves GREAT material and doesn’t fight to outshine the material . The substance will stand on its own if it’s there to start with .
The right rating , Trigger , and thanks for doing us all a favour and spotlighting this one . It’s a superb example of how a mature genre of music ( Americana ? ) is so desperately important to writers and REAL artists . And , of course , mature listeners.
January 26, 2016 @ 1:24 pm
So, did she square things up with Curb, or has it just been long enough since her last album that they’re allowing this one to slip through? She released Sing: Chapter 1 all the way back in 2009.
January 28, 2016 @ 10:01 am
reminds me of Holly Williams “drinkin” tune, video, and instruments.
and this too, is a very nice song .
February 6, 2016 @ 11:19 pm
I like this song a lot and it gets better with each listen. I would say that this is the most country-sounding song on the album. The album is good, but a little too blues/soul for my liking.