Loretta Lynn Album: “Van Lear Rose”

Too be honest- I have been in love with Mrs. Loretta Lynn since I was five and saw her on Hee-Haw. But at 39 her voice and lyrics have blown me away in manner that i was unprepared for in this life. I could fill this review with a great lines about how good the CD is. But I ask you to just listen and you will hear great music, great music- that has no bounds and yet is so country that you will wonder what CMT, GAC and the other nashville idiots who give us Toby, and Kenny, and Jimmy Buffet for God's sake are thinking. People if you really love country and not just the cute butt of Tim or Shania than this what it all about. Take from a man who found what was missing all along with this sweet. sweet woman!

I'll keep it short and to the point. I'm 28 and never imagined i'd be in line at the store with a loretta lynn cd. Well i bought it and i must say i am very impressed . Loretta is like 70 and sings like she's 20. The music, for the most part, is very country souding. Not mullets, nascar, levis, $1500 guitars, produced in a 50 million dollar studio cheesy brooks and dunn vegas pseudo country pop, but something so much more authentic. THis music went right through me, even all the slow songs. That's a first for a speed metal child.

For a couple of decades the world of commercial

country music has needed some shaking up. While there

have been occasional tremors, it's only fitting that

the artist most likely to turn Nashville on its top is

the same one that jolted it awake 30 years ago.

Loretta Lynn has just released one of the best records

in modern Country Music.

"You've got to have an open mind," Loretta writes in a

A little different indeed! But that's only if you're

"I'm sittin' here on death row / And Lord I've lost my

Listeners who've followed the progressive music scene

No matter what his age, White has shaken open the

well-springs of country music with his production of

From the the bare bones, garage-rock anthem "Have

Van Lear Rose is to modern Country Music what the New

Enjoy,

Country and rock "crossovers" are not new. The Byrds did it back in the 1960's, and for that matter, most of Elvis Presley's biggest hits were equally popular with both rock and county & western audiences. The Eagles and other music acts have managed to also build huge fan bases from both country and rock audiences. Late in life, Johnny Cash managed a few hits that rock & pop audiences liked, and even though Willien Nelson is a "country singer/songwriter", every rock band in Texas thinks he's as cool as they come.

So, Loretta Lynn gets Jack White (White Stripes) to collaborate on a new album. Nothing new right? WRONG! This is a masterpiece. If Loretta Lynn never does another album of songs, this is one that will define her career as surely as anything else she ever did. The collaboratin might seem surprising, but The WHite Stripes dedicated their WHITE BLOOD CELLS album to Loretta Lynn as a major inspiraton. The admiration Jack (and his band mate, Meg) White has is genuine.

Jack White tells people that Digital Is Evil, and The White Stripes use analog recording equipment to record & mix. This CD is analog as well -- done with 8 tracks or less on all songs. So, I guess the corrollary is that analog is good. J. WHite sure makes that case convincingly here.

On a few songs, Loretta Lynn sings with enough passion and intensity to rival Janis Joplin at her peak, or even Robert Plant. Loretta Lynn is a "hall of Famer" nearly 70 years old, yet she sounds like she's just starting out and eager to get noticed -- for all the right reasons.

The production is sparse, not over-orchestrated. It's a lot like the really great country songs of many years ago -- and not that much different in concept from what The WHite Stripes do on their own albums.

"Van Lear Rose" is also a lot like "Hard Again", a Muddy Waters album produced by long time admirer, Johnny Winter. If you're going to check out, then why not do it at the top?

'Miss Being Mrs.' is a sad lament about widhowhood -- but sad songs about loss are what make the best C & W tunes. Same for 'Family Tree' (marital infidelity), and 'Portland, Oregon' (a duet with Jack WHite) which recalls past love.

This "comeback" is magnificent. Check it out.

Loretta Lynn has never sounded better. From the evocative Van Lear Rose to the soaring High on Mountain Top, she never misses a beat. This CD is sure to please long-standing fans and new listeners alike. The grand lady of Nashville is in top form, belying her 70 years, and leaving the impression that she will remain the towering force she is in country music for years to come.