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- Wanda Jackson
Heart Trouble
CMH Records
By Steve Cooper
 In concert these
days, Wanda likes to tell her back-up band, the Cadillac Angels,
to "grab a D-chord and hang on," which, when you think
of it, is rockabilly defined. Witnessing the calm, mature, matronly
Wanda on the stage today, it is easy to forget that she once
was THE cutting edge warrior in the rockabilly versus country
music battle of the 1950s and early 1960s. This was a battle
almost as intense as the blues/gospel battle, though over a shorter
period of time. Cutting edge warriors usually flame out and
die young. Wanda Jackson's story is a happier one.
First off, young Wanda had the looks and build of a Jane Russell
or an Ava Gardner. The typical male reaction to Wanda in the
1950s was "damn!" The female reaction was "damn."
She was a heartbreaker with a guitar, a beat, and tough girl
voice, complete with patented growl. In short, she was too good
to be true and, as such, she became a lightning rod in the country
versus rockabilly (rock and roll) battle. In the late 1950s
and early 1960s the battle took a turn away from rockabilly.
Rock and roll turned its back on the "go-cat-ers"
and sucked up to the pop sounds of Frankie Avalon, Fabian, Paul
Anka, Bobby Vee, Bobby Vinton, et al. Rockabilly singers were
left with a choice-go country or go home. Many (Jerry Lee Lewis,
Conway Twitty, Ray Price) made the transition, many (like Wanda
Jackson) never quite did. The main problem with Wanda was that
she was an exceptional rockabilly singer and a so-so country
singer. Country at the time wasn't allowing itself to be rocked
and that's what Wanda was all about.
Therefore, if one cadges together the hundred bucks plus to
buy Wanda's exhaustive boxed set on Bear Records, one is going
to receive some of the coolest, gone-est rockabilly ever put
to wax, and, alas, one is going to get a modicum of bland, early
'60s, formula country.
Wanda had some medium hits in country, but nothing chart shattering.
Her unease with the country world and their unease with her
was ironic because Wanda had started her career in 1954 singing
with country legend Hank Thompson and his Brazos Valley Boys.
Nonetheless, she fought the good fight until 1971 when she and
her manager husband, Wendell Goodman, became born again Christians
and gave up the secular music worlds altogether. Wanda recorded
some gospel albums, but mostly she and Wendell raised their growing
family. Then, in the early 1990s, kids safely grown and married
and out of the nest, Wanda started singing again, this time what
she knows best-rockabilly. Successful tours of Europe followed,
with resultant live albums, showing that Wanda's voice had lost
none of its sass and snap. She toured the U.S. with neo-Tex-Mex-er
Rosie Flores and stole the show wherever they appeared.
All of which (deep breath) brings us to Wanda's first studio
album in over fifteen years. Heart Trouble is a mix of
contemporary songs, country standards, and remakes of some of
Wanda's best rockabilly ravers. Produced with cool, unadorned
precision by John Wooler, this mish-mash hangs together nicely.
It could easily be the latest roots rocker discovery. Mostly,
Mr. Wooler lets Wanda be Wanda; he doesn't try to recast her
in new musical clothing.
The contemporary songwriters, Paul Kennerley, James Intveld,
Jeff Hanna, and Rosie Flores, provide the contemporary underpinning
that keeps this from being a "best of rerecorded" affair.
Add to this Wanda's fine take on Buck Owens' "Crying Time"
(dueting with Elvis Costello), her romping version of the Louvin
Brothers' "Cash on the Barrelhead," her barrelhouse
reworking of Cowboy Jack Clements' "It'll Be Me" (with
Dave Alvin smoking the guitar leads), and, of course, her 40-years-later
re-dos of her own rockabilly classics "Mean Mean Man,"
"Riot in Cellblock #9," and "Let's Have a Party,"
and what you have is a nifty package and a most pleasant return
of a legend.
Of the contemporary cuts, the title track is the most like
Wanda in her prime. A mid-tempo, seething rockabilly tune written
by Paul Kennerley, it bears more than a passing resemblance to
Elvis' famous version of Big Boy Crudup's "That's All Right,
Mama." The wonder is Wanda's voice. At the age of 65,
she still has that fresh, sassy, almost teenage jeer in her voice.
In short, there's a lot of little girl in the old gal yet.
Charlie McCoy's "Tunnel of Love" is given a wild,
wild recast here with the backing of punk pioneers the Cramps.
With the jungle beats, the siren female backing singers moaning
"ooooo-ooooh," and the male backing grunting "ooh-aah,"
this is a cut ready for the Americana charts. The Cramps' guitarist
Poison Ivy is note-twistingly fine on Stratocaster, while Stephen
Hodges provides the heavy-on-the-tom-toms backbeat. And, oh
yeah, Wanda's voice brings it all together with confidence and
(surprisingly) youthful moxie.
The pen of James Intveld provides the gospel throwback "Walk
With Me." The song is obviously close to Wanda's heart
because she singles it out in the "Special Thanks"
section of the liner notes. With Dorian Holley and Bridgette
Bryant on choir-like backing vocals and Michael Thompson on church
organ, Wanda sings a most convincing testimonial.
Of Wanda's signature songs, "Let's Have a Party"
is the most like the original, with Neil Larson strong on Jerry
Lee Lewis piano. Again, at the risk of repeating myself (again),
Wanda's voice doesn't sound a bit different from her rockabilly
heyday. (The rockabilly voice of Dorian Gray.) "Mean Mean
Man," on the other hand, is put in a more updated context,
with Texas guitar wizard Randy Jacobs playing some demented,
destructo lead guitar lines. Wanda showcases that patented "growl"
in her voice to fine effect and isn't cowed one bit by modern,
muscular guitar.
So, who says firebrand rock and roll singers have to come
to a tragic end? Wanda Jackson, alive and well and vital at
the age of 65, is proof to the contrary.
Contact Steve Cooper at: cooper-at-rockzilla.net
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