If I Could Tell You is the twelfth studio album by Yanni, released on the Virgin Records label in 2000. It peaked at #1 on Billboard's "Top New Age Albums" chart and at #20 on the "Billboard 200" chart in the same year. This was Yanni's first studio album in seven years, an introspective and deeply personal project which came in the wake of a two-year sabbatical, a move to the east coast of the U.S., and other changes which refocused his life and life's work.
Jimmy Dawkins was one of the originators of the tough West Side sound in Chicago blues. Since his initial appearance on Delmark in the late '60s, his career has had its ups and downs, often going years without recording. After a string of lackluster releases in the '80s, and some time away from performing, Dawkins started to find his feet again in the early '90s. Tell Me Baby is Dawkins' second album for Fedora and features the same core players as his earlier effort for the label from 2001: Frank Goldwasser on guitar, John Suhr on organ, and Chris Millar on drums and producing. Additionally on this 2003 session, Dawkins is rejoined by guitarist Rich Kirch, whom he played with back in the '70s.
Wynonna Judd's second album, Tell Me Why, is a more confident and diverse collection than her debut. Drawing from sources as varied as gospel, folk, and blues-rock, Wynonna doesn't necessarily deliver a pure country album, but her blend of roots genres does qualify as a cleverly constructed contemporary country record. The selection of material is first-rate, but what makes Tell Me Why her best solo effort is how she ties all of the songs together with her assured – and surprisingly subtle – vocals.