Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose

  by Geraint Jones

published: 12 / 4 / 2004

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Fast approaching 70 years old and following a career that’s lasted in excess of 40 years; one that’s seen her produce an average of almost two albums a year during that period, you would imagine Loretta Lynn might have thought about taking things a little easier around now. Well, think again. Much as the late Johnny Cash found renewed success and critical standing with his Rick Rubin collaborations at American Recordings in later years, it would seem Loretta Lynn is about to emulate that success via a similarly unexpected route. On the evidence of her excellent new album, ‘Van Lear Rose’, produced by the White Stripes Jack White, a major resurgence in her fortunes and critical standing. as well as an opportunity to broaden the age range of her fan base by at least the same age gap between herself and her much younger collaborator, would be more than just desserts. Cynics might argue that her decision to hook up with Jack White won’t have done her any harm, although it was actually White who’d originally established the seeds of the union having dedicated ‘White Blood Cells’ to Loretta Lynn and having recorded ‘Rated X’ one of her best known songs, for the B-side to ‘Hotel Yorba’. It was Lynn’s daughter who eventually informed her of the White Stripes association and the rest as they say is history. Jack White undoubtedly plays his part in the collaboration. The album is probably as musically tough and direct as anything she’s recorded previously. The key element here though, and the most impressive is that ‘Van Lear Rose' represents Loretta Lynn’s first entirely self–penned set of material since her obscure debut in the early 60's. A record so obscure incidentally that even Lynn professes not to own a copy. Coupled to that is the fact that the songs are all damned good and that vocally she sounds more impassioned and energetic than most of her current contemporaries, many of whom are half her age or younger. That’s she’s long been regarded as an icon of country music is a fact that can only be enhanced by this album. Backed by a band that includes members of Cincinnati garage outfit the Greenhornes and Detroit’s Blanche as well as Jack White himself, White never lets the radical approach overwhelm the focus of the album – Loretta Lynn and her songs. And what great songs they are, from the title track – a captivating tale of Lynn’s father’s love for her mother set amidst the back drop of the Kentucky coalfields and surely destined to be heralded as a classic, ‘Portland Oregon’ the only duet with Jack White on the album, the touching though harrowing ‘Little Red Shoes’, Lynn’s spoken words embellishing Jack White’s meandering accompaniment, the rocking fun of ‘Mrs Leroy Brown’, ‘Have Mercy’ a song Lynn had actually written for Elvis Presley late in his career although he never recorded it, and here given a rousing treatment. and the heartfelt ‘Miss Being Mrs’ - Loretta Lynn’s husband Oliver aka Doolittle aka Doo Lynn who was instrumental in supporting her throughout her career died in the late 1990’s after they had been married almost 50 years. Frankly this is all great, life affirming stuff and will undoubtedly be regarded by many as one of the year’s best. Encouragingly Loretta Lynn and Jack White are already talking of at least two further collaborations. Me, I can’t wait.

Track Listing:-

1 Van Lear Rose
2 Portland Oregon
3 Trouble On The Line
4 Family Tree
5 Have Mercy
6 High On A Mountain Top
7 Little Red Shoes
8 God Makes No Mistakes
9 Women's Prison
10 This Old House
11 Mrs. Leroy Brown
12 Miss Being Mrs.
13 Story Of My Life

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