Six years after their debut,
the Judds were still cranking out the hits, albeit with a funkier, grittier sound that brought electric pianos and Hammond B-3s into the mix. Using the same basic team that had made their career the monstrously successful thing it was, talent like guitarists like
Carl Perkins,
Mark Knopfler, and
Roy Huskey, Jr. augment
River of Time. That said, it seems like the funkier and less traditionally "country"
the Judds became, the wider their appeal. Album to album, their singles still seemed to resonate with country audiences the most.
River of Time boasted two number singles, the plaintive country of "Young Love" and the rockabilly shuffle of
Perkins' "Let Me Tell You About Love" with
Perkins kicking it on guitar.
Naomi Judd is also featured here as a prominent songwriter with her partner,
John Jarvis, on the title track, "Cadillac Red," and the closer, "Guardian Angel." There is a stunning cover of
Boudleaux Bryant's "Sleepless Nights" that equals the
Gram Parsons/
Emmylou Harris version. And
Knopfler's "Water of Love" was stretching it for
the Judds, but in its sultry outlaw country feel and the author's guitar snaking around
Wynonna's voice, nocturnal and mysterious, it's the most seductive tune on the set. The strutting country boogie of "Cadillac Red" and the shuffling swinging honky tonk of "Do I Dare" are infectious. "Guardian Angel," which
Naomi wrote with
Jarvis and Don Schlitz, bears the latter's unmistakable imprint. Having written "The Gambler" for
Kenny Rogers,
Naomi's story is made elegant by a heartbreakingly beautiful melody and refrain.
River of Time is another ace in
the Judds' hands. ~ Thom Jurek