Wynonna Judd Picks Favorites From 'A Tribute to the Judds' Album

Wynonna Judd admits she didn't just have mixed feelings about the new A Tribute to the Judds album — she wasn't a fan of the idea at first.

One specific song changed her mind, however, and now she's embracing a 14-song cover album of Judds' biggest hits with her mother, the late Naomi Judd.

A Tribute to the Judds is now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood are among the country icons who picked a song to sing for the project. Contemporary artists like Lainey Wilson, Ashley McBryde and Megan Moroney also show how far the Judds' influence reaches.
Judd's solo Back to Wy Tour began this week in Indiana.

"The tribute album was a really difficult thing for me at first, I'll be honest," Judd tells Taste of Country. "I was so painfully aware of how mom's gone and that part of my life is, historically, now in the scrapbook up on the shelf."

Judd didn't have any kind of control over the album, but praises producer Brent Maher — the man who helmed early Judds albums — and everyone involved. Revisiting these songs was like reopening that scrapbook and tearfully flipping through old memories.

Broken Bow Records

"Then, all of a sudden I heard Gwen Stefani singing 'Love Is Alive' and, I mean — What is this?'" Judd says, gushing. "Her and Blake (Shelton) are singing our song and it's really good! I told Gwen that recently. I told her it's one of my favorite songs on the album."

There are more that hit her in the exact same way. Cody Johnson's version of "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout the Good Old Days)" (with Sonya Isaacs) also brought "What the heck is this?" hollers.

"A guy, singing our song?' ... And then I heard his voice and it's just one of my favorite voices in country music today," Judd says.

Stephen Dunn, Getty Images

The album will live well beyond Friday's release. On Nov. 8, look for Jelly Roll and K. Michelle to take the CMA Awards stage to sing "Love Can Build a Bridge." Judd says that song blew her mind.

"I'm such a fan of his," she adds.