Despite all the cancellations and postponements in arts and sports announced on Thursday, Wynonna Judd was not going to bow out of her two-night stand at the Dakota in Minneapolis.
"Everybody relax," the Nashville veteran implored as soon as she hit the stage Thursday in front of a near-capacity crowd. "I woke up this morning and I went 'Wow.' All I can do is sing. In the best of times and the worst of times, there's always a song."
She said she wasn't going to talk about the "crap" going on in the world. "My job is to give you something else to think about."
Country music's confessional queen did talk a lot – about her issues with her mom, her kids, her husband (who was accompanying her on various instruments) and her own self-esteem. She shared her philosophies and stories about her up-from-welfare-in-Appalachia life.
Like Dolly Parton, Judd is a larger-than-life personality with a voice to match. When she emerged at age 18 as half of the Judds with her mother Naomi, Wynonna was called a female Elvis. Vocally, that's still apt.
Like the King, she blends country, blues and gospel with a full-bodied soulful voice and a growl that's both ferocious and sexy. She can rock and she can soothe – and do it all without undeniable conviction.
That vocal prowess was in full glory on the opening "Feelin' Good," the Nina Simone classic, that started a cappella and put everyone in a good mood. Wynonna included.
Like someone auditioning for her own talk-show, the 55-year-old interviewed individual fans, reminisced about playing at Target Center and the Minnesota State Fair and bantered playfully with her husband (Cactus Moser played both the straight man and the quipster). She gabbed about her book, songwriting, beauty tips, stockpile of Purell and toilet paper, and her new desire to hoard false eyelashes.
You don't need to read her 2005 memoir to learn all about Wynonna. In concert, she is a captivatingly saucy, sharp-tongued dynamo with witty sayings, sincere philosophizing and smart-alecky zingers. And Moser was a perfect foil.
"I married that hair," she ribbed the man with a high forehead crowned by wayward blond stalagmites.
"You were attracted to the mullet," he reminded her of their meeting 25 years earlier. "And then married this hair."
Every once in a while, Wynonna sang a song, backed by acoustic guitarist/mandolinist Robby Vaughn, bassist Dow Tomlin and Moser on (slide) guitar and mandolin. She sometimes played acoustic guitar or snare drum.
In this intimate acoustic setting, Wynonna dusted off plenty of Judds gems, including "Why Not Me," "Grandpa," "Love Is Alive" and "Young Love." She offered some of her solo-career favorites including the explosively soulful "No One Else on Earth" and the bluesy "Ain't No Thing" and introduced last year's gospelly psychedelic "The Child."
Those in attendance would call that a wonderfully entertaining and enriching concert; Wynonna would dub it a 1¾-hour therapy session. Both are absolutely right.
Wynonna will return for another session at 7 p.m. Friday at the Dakota.