COVER STORY : ALBUM REVIEW : ** 1/2 WYNONNA JUDD “Wynonna” <i> Curb/MCA</i>

It’s not surprising that many of the songs on Wynonna Judd’s first solo album are about parting and independence. What is surprising is that a singer with one of the most potent, versatile voices in country music--in any area of pop, for that matter--seems so timid about putting a lot of feeling into them.

“Wynonna” is a something-for-everyone collection: Bonnie Raitt-style blues-rock, country-pop with a Fleetwood Mac air, pure mountain music, regulation contemporary country, even a touch of soul. Judd has an appropriate voice for each: tough and growly, free and easy, nasal and twangy, direct and sincere.

But as with most Nashville albums these days, Judd is faced with material of wildly uneven quality. Her country chart-topper “She Is His Only Need” has a gorgeous melody, but the lyric is a virtual parody of inspirational lifeline sagas, and it asks her to do something with lines like “Never had a lot of luck with the ladies/He sure had a lot of good workin’ skills.”

“My Strongest Weakness,” “It’s Never Easy to Say Goodbye” and “All of My Love From Here” are much better ballads, and they inspire her most evocative vocals. The rest of the songs rest somewhere between those extremes: solid, sometimes fun, sometimes touching, rarely deep or memorable.

In this first flight out of the nest, Judd seems intimidated by her potential power, and she restrains her expressiveness as if she’s afraid to let it soar. That’s what everybody has been waiting for, and it looks as if they’ll have to wait a little longer.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).