POP MUSIC REVIEWS : JUDDS TRUE TO IDEALS AT UNIVERSAL

Success hasn’t spoiled the Judds. If you wondered whether the mother-daughter duo’s huge popularity in country music might tempt them to add more glitz and glamour in an effort to Go Pop, rest easy. Their concert Thursday at the Universal Amphitheatre avoided Vegas-style excess. Like the Judds’ music, the show was honest and straightforward, marked by integrity and taste.

The act’s chief asset is daughter Wynonna’s remarkable voice. The 23-year-old redhead punctuates her vocals with a raspy growl that gives the Judds’ music an edge--a hint of toughness and grit. This made their version of Little Richard’s bawdy “Rip It Up” seem convincing, and also allowed them to perform overtly sentimental songs such as “Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout the Good Old Days)” without seeming maudlin. The Judds returned to their old Kentucky home more than once during the show, also performing an acoustic version of an old Appalachian song, “The Sweetest Gift.”

Naomi sings harmony vocals, and serves as the act’s visual focus and cheerleader. She is the more extroverted of the two, sashaying across the stage like a coquettish Southern belle. The combination is formidable. The key for the Judds will be remaining true to their strengths and musical ideals, even as their popularity grows.

Earl Thomas Conley opened the concert with a set that mixed graceful, distinctive ballads with several rollicking--but rather ordinary--toe-tappers. Those ballads (including the country smash “Holding Her and Loving You”) are the sort of compelling story songs that Kenny Rogers and Ronnie Milsap would give up their Grammys for. Another highlight was “Attracted to Pain,” a stark ballad that built into a searing, Eagles-like rocker. The bill was scheduled for a second night on Friday.