Turn It Up

Turn It Up: November 21, 2012

Written by Dave Gil de Rubio Wednesday, 21 November 2012 15:00

Unfinished Business (Sugar Hill) is certainly what rockabilly pioneer Wanda Jackson has on her mind. Having already hit the comeback trail by way of last year’s Jack White-produced The Party Ain’t Over, her 30th album. For the follow-up, the 75-year-old Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famer tapped Justin Townes Earle, son of Americana stalwart Steve, to produce. Using a more stripped-down and airier touch than White, Earle succeeds in the showcasing Jackson’s range and singular vocal talents whether she’s going to church on Townes Van Zandt’s gospel-inspired “Two Hands,” making Bobby Womack’s “It’s All Over Now” her own or matching up beautifully on a duet with her producer on the weepy countrypolitan gem “Am I Even a Memory.” The Oklahoma native also shines on the Earle-penned honky-tonk earworm “What Do You Do When You’re Lonesome” and a stellar reading of the Jeff Tweedy/Woody Guthrie nugget “California Stars.”