That certain something can be heard on "Keep This Love," the leadoff cut on White's fourth album, One More Time. Capturing a conversation between two lovers, White suddenly interjects, "Yea yea yea yea yea yea" - it's an unexpected blast of feeling that expresses all the pent-up frustration the woman's been holding back. It's not accusatory or personal; it's just a volatile explosion of pure emotion that communicates what the couple's words can't, and it's stunningly effective - just the kind of thing lifts talents like Aretha Franklin or Van Morrison above their peers.
"I try to write songs that have something to say, that have a strong point of view," says White. "I want to feel a clear emotion when I sing. It lets me play that character for a few minutes while drawing on an experience I've had. If it's real for me, then it's going to be more real for whoever's listening."
The Arkansas native, who was raised in Indiana, reveals that special characteristic throughout One More Time. It's there when she's holding a long note on the chorus of "I'm Free," snarling with righteous pride on "Good Rockin' Mama," quietly conveying poignant truths in "Girls with Apartments in Nashville" or bringing layers of complexity to the tough self-examination of the title song.
For another example, check out how she transforms Naomi Neville's classic "Certain Girl," one of two songs on the album White didn't write (the other is a touching cover of Phil Lee's "Just Some Girl.") By changing the gender to make it "A Certain Boy," White becomes the first female to record the cheeky New Orleans classic. The song’s had several famous versions, from early takes by Ernie K-Doe, Fats Domino and Clarence "Frogman" Henry to latter covers by The Yardbirds, Eric Clapton and Warren Zevon. White matches Zevon's swaggering version, singing it with a flinty, flirty sneer that suggests White is southern music's answer to such take-no-guff rockers as Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett.
That attitude serves White's artistry well - even if it has created some speed bumps in her career path. Nashville early on embraced and encouraged White, although eventually her uncompromising ways and brass-in-pocket style proved too stout for an era that preferred sweet-smiling pop-country divas. Still, White's two '90s albums on Columbia Records remain acclaimed collections, predating the success of similarly bold female artists like the Dixie Chicks (who covered two of White's recordings, "Tonight the Heartache's on Me" and "Cold Day in July") As with many iconoclasts who cast their fate with creative freedom, White found her audience outside strict genre lines, where she can mix-and-match various roots styles into an alchemy all her own.
"I feel like I can be myself when I don't have to fit someone else's idea of what will get me airplay," she says. "I've done that, and while I appreciated the opportunity, I felt constrained by it. It felt a lot more natural to let my songs and my arrangements go where they needed to go without worrying about what box they fit in. I wanted to be able to do what felt right."
She's been welcomed by such well-known outsiders as Lucinda Williams, Buddy Miller, Dwight Yoakam, Robbie Fulks, Amy Rigby, Iris DeMent and Chip Taylor, all of whom have called on her as a harmony vocalist and opening act. Williams, especially, loves to ask White to join her on tour as a warm-up act. In a special honor, Buddy Miller asked her to fill in for his wife Julie Miller while performing a series of European shows. Her duet with Fulks on "Tupelo County Jail" was a highlight of the Webb Pierce tribute album, Caught in the Webb.
White's previous independent release, 1997's grand The Lucky Few, was produced in Los Angeles by Pete Anderson and became a No. 1 seller on the Americana charts. The acclaimed roots-rock album, full of searing country soul, revealed how much more powerful White's songwriting and voice could be when freed from the formulas of commercial country music.
White was building momentum while touring after the release of The Lucky Few when tragedy struck. A close member of her family had died unexpectedly; the singer put her career on hold to spend time in East Tennessee with her immediate family as they all pulled together after the devastating loss.
Still, she continued to write songs, gaining a long-running song publishing contract with esteemed Welk Music. She eventually returned to touring steadily and contributed vocals to albums by dozens of acclaimed friends. She also took on her first big dramatic role; playing Mother Maybelle Carter in a musical production based the story of The Carter Family. Along the way, she released a web-only album of demo songs, On Her Own, that's now in its third printing.
For her return to recording, she went into the studio at the invitation of Kyle Lehning, the famed producer who collaborated with Randy Travis on his classic debut, Storms of Life, as well as working with George Jones, Waylon Jennings, Tammy Wynette, The Derailers, Dan Seals and others.
"Kyle was a godsend," says White. "He's such a consummate professional, and he loves working with good singers and strong material. I learned a lot co-producing a record with him. He really went to bat for me across the board, and I couldn't have finished this record if it wasn't for how committed he was to getting it done."
The album includes a stellar core band featuring guitarists Duane Jarvis and George Bradfute, bassist Dave Jacques and drummer Paul Griffith, with White on acoustic guitar and Lehning providing R&B-style organ accents.
"I wanted to wait for the right situation before putting together another recording," White says. "Once I started working with Kyle and with this great band, I knew this was the right situation."
The 11 cuts prove worth the wait. Always a critical favorite - reviewer Alanna Nash once described White as "a fiery redhead with a wild-and-wounded delivery and an attitude that says she’s not to be ignored"--One More Time puts White back in the spotlight and as a reminder of her one-of-a-kind talent.
Or, as White might put it, "Yea yea yea yea yea yea."
True Confessions
Joy Lynn White Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
TitleTrue confessions
Lyrictext
He come walkin', he come talkin'
And his smile took my heart away
Dancin' eyes... hypnotized
And the look that he gave me
Was more than words could say
He only wanted my shoulder to cry on
He only wanted my love for a while
I was lookin' for someone to rely on
I traced his heart from his smile
Lyrics courtesy Lyricsvault.net
The stars were fallin' in every direction
The moon was rockin' back and forth in the sky
Modern day lovers with true confessions
Written in their eyes
Written in their eyes
Mornin' came and lit the flame
We were wrapped around a blanket of love
In a brand new day
Love came in
Where you been?
Now that we're together
We'll never be alone again
Written in their eyes.
Joy Lynn White's song "True Confessions" tells the tale of a woman falling in love with a man at first sight. The man had walked up to her with a charming smile and dancing eyes that left her hypnotized. Even with just a look, the man's intention towards her was evident. He wanted solace and comfort, and she was ready to provide that even if it meant a short-lived love. She was searching for a dependable partner, and as she traced his heart from his smile, she believed that they could be together.
The second verse reveals a passionate night they had, wrapped up in a blanket of love. Afterward, she woke up to a brand new day, realizing that love had arrived, and she asked when he had been all her life. The song concludes with the declaration that modern-day lovers are not afraid to express their feelings genuinely, as it is written in their eyes - their true confessions.
Overall, "True Confessions" is a poetic and captivating song about the incredible power of love and the unrelenting desire to connect with others. The song's lyrics convey a sense of hope and possibility, reminding us that love can be found in even the most unexpected places, as long as we keep our hearts open to the possibility.
Line by Line Meaning
He come walkin', he come talkin'
He came over and started talking to me
And his smile took my heart away
I was immediately attracted to him because of his smile
Dancin' eyes... hypnotized
His eyes were so captivating that I couldn't look away
And the look that he gave me
The way he looked at me was very telling
Was more than words could say
His expression said more than any words could
He only wanted my shoulder to cry on
He was just looking for emotional support
He only wanted my love for a while
He wasn't looking for a long-term commitment
I was lookin' for someone to rely on
I wanted someone to depend on and support me
I traced his heart from his smile
I was able to tell a lot about him from his smile
The stars were fallin' in every direction
The setting was very romantic
The moon was rockin' back and forth in the sky
The atmosphere was very dreamlike
Modern day lovers with true confessions
We were a typical modern-day couple sharing our emotions
Written in their eyes
Our emotions were transparent and easy to read
Mornin' came and lit the flame
The next morning, we were still feeling the passion
We were wrapped around a blanket of love
We were very much in love
In a brand new day
We were starting a new chapter in our relationship
Love came in
We fell in love
Where you been?
Why did it take so long for us to find each other?
Now that we're together
Now that we're finally in a relationship
We'll never be alone again
We'll always have each other
Writer(s): Kostas Lazarides, Marty Stuart
Contributed by Taylor Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Randolph Hadaway
I had this on cassette. Great song.
Windsong1a
30 YEARS LATER.......and I am STILL loving this song and GIRL!
jetclntn
Damn right I just love her
jetclntn
Fantastic songwriter Marty Stuart
Joy never became a big country star but she knocks this song out of the park
She is so red hot sexy with her red hair and amazing smile
Todd Higgins
CMT burnt this up for a while back in the day.
Elijah Cambry
I miss her making records. her newest music is amazing but I think she’s just done trying to be anything other than creative
Tronald Dump
Great song by Marty Stewart
Kelton King
I forgot Marty Co-wrote this.
PARADISE7670
I never knew this.
Tronald Dump
When did she add the Lynn to her name it used to be Joy White