Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
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CD Details
Artist: Loretta LynnEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Original Language)
CD Release Date: 2004-04-27
Music Label: Interscope Records
Soundtracks:
- VAN LEAR ROSE
- PORTLAND OREGON (DUET WITH JACK WHITE)
- TROUBLE ON THE LINE
- FAMILY TREE
- HAVE MERCY
- HIGH ON A MOUNTAIN TOP
- LITTLE RED SHOES
- GOD MAKES NO MISTAKES
- WOMEN'S PRISON
- THIS OLD HOUSE
- MRS. LEROY BROWN
- MISS BEING MRS.
- STORY OF MY LIFE
Music reviews of Van Lear Rose
Music Review: Marvelous and Classic
Rating: 4 Stars
I have always liked Loretta Lynn. Loretta's music was a fixture in our house in the 60s and 70s. We have a lot of Loretta's music from over the years and if CDs can wear out, ours eventually will. When "Van Lear Rose" was initially released I was excited and my first thought was to run out and buy it. Then I began to hear negative comments regarding the album. Then I began to hear positive remarks, followed by no less than five nominations for Grammy Awards, and two wins! Something was wrong somewhere, so I had to buy this album.
My overall impression is that this album is a mix of old and new. The style that Loretta had in the 60s and 70s is there, with enough infusion of new that keeps her music from sounding like it came from a dusty attic. I have to listen to this album some more, but my initial reaction is very positive. I am dissatisfied with the pop with country twang that passes for country these days, and I think part of the reason Loretta's new album has been so well received is that it is not a pop album disguised as country. This music shows its country roots very well. Admittedly, there are moments when rock intrudes, but that is to be expected given that rock has already taken over much of country music (sorry, but adding a twang to a pop or rock song just does not make the song country).
This CD opens with the title track. The subject is her mother. The style is pure Loretta Lynn. Her voice may have aged a little, but hearing Loretta Lynn sing new music in a style reminiscent of when she (and we) was much younger is wonderful. The lyrics are simple and the story is from rural Kentucky.
The second song is rocking country. Loretta sings about "Portland Oregon" as though it is the western edge of Kentucky. Perhaps it is. This song moves along fast enough to make you believe it. This particular song is the one song on this CD that is closer to rock than it is to country. The duet with White Stripes' Jack White may have something to do with that. This song was one of two on this CD nominated for the Best Country Song Grammy.
"Trouble on the Line" balances the previous song. This song has a classic Grand Ole Opry style. The beat is slow and the steel guitar wails in the background. Loretta manages to keep this simple song about love going bad from being maudlin, but only just barely.
Loretta has always been a strong woman in her music, and she can be very confrontational. In "Family Tree" she confronts her man and another woman with their children, the dog and the overpaid bills. Loretta is not shy, calling the woman trash and woman who's burning down the family tree. While she does not plan on doing this woman harm (yet!), she is clearly reminding her man where his obligations lie. Another song in a similar vein, with a bit more retribution involved, is "Mrs. Leroy Brown." The latter song has a faster rock pace.
In the next song Loretta sings blues! "Have Mercy" is short with a rock back beat, but the song is essentially blues. While this song may be weaker than much of the remaining music on this CD, it expands the scope of the CD and shows a side of Loretta Lynn rarely seen. The next song, "High on a Mountain Top," reminds me a lot of the way that Dolly Parton sings. Loretta pulls this song off well, though the style, as with several of the songs on this CD, is unusual for Loretta.
"Little Red Shoes" is not a song per se, but a story that Loretta told and that Jack White set to music. The story is cute and sad all at once, and from the heart as there was no editing. The story is presented, mistakes and all, just as Loretta told it. We take our era for granted, but there are still people living just like this in the United States. This story is very real to Loretta, even now.
"God Makes no Mistakes" is a simple song of faith that seems to be sung less frequently. The song is short and simple, makes its point and moves on. Another short and sweet song is "This Old House," about old times and simple times; down home singing!
The following song, "Women's Prison," focuses on the crying mother of a female prisoner on the way to be executed. The woman killed her significant other with another woman, and took the quick route to justice. She realizes now what a mistake she made as she hears her mother crying just before she hears nothing more.
The next song has received a lot of accolades and was nominated for Best Country Song Grammy. The song speaks volumes about the love that Loretta had for Doo and how much she still misses him. The song is from the heart and pure. This song is solidly the best song on this CD.
The closing song on this CD takes me back to the movie "Coal Miner's Daughter." In one quick song Loretta Lynn highlights her life in the style she knows best. "The Story of My Life" is simple, unpretentious, and classic. This song is campfire and blue-collar ready. As hard as it can be to believe sometimes, this is the way country music was once sung.
I wonder whether this album has garnered so much attention because it points out how far from country that country music has strayed. Modern country music is polished and produced and packaged for maximum appeal, but in the process it loses the very character that once appealed to a huge number of people. Listen to this CD and remember where the music of the people began.
Description of Van Lear Rose
Loretta Lynn "Van Lear Rose" Produced and Arranged by Jack White of the White StripesGarage-rock hero Jack White producing honky-tonk legend Loretta Lynn? And Lynn comparing him to renowned Nashville producer Owen Bradley? Yes, we all know the world is rapidly shrinking, but now we've seen everything. Most stunning of all--they nailed it. For the first time, Lynn has written all of an album's songs, and her lyrics are as cutting and incisive as ever. On the powerful, biting "Family Tree," she brings her babies to the home of her husband's mistress so that they can see the "woman that's burning down our family tree." Throughout she cunningly tackles tried-and-true honky-tonk themes of love gone bad, drinkin', cheatin', and murder. Lynn even offers a compelling slice of theological fatalism ("God Makes No Mistakes"). White's production--mostly stark and atmospheric--ranges from more-traditional country to straight-up White Stripes, with most tracks falling somewhere in between. White duets with Lynn on the rousing one-night-stand story "Portland, Oregon," but he does not need to sing to leave his personal stamp. At 70, Lynn seems thoroughly engaged and delighted; at times she delivers some of the most emotionally potent singing of her career. A decade earlier, Johnny Cash turned to rock and rap producer Rick Rubin, and the move resuscitated Cash's career. Now, Jack White has done the same for Loretta Lynn, another country legend whose music is simply too raw and honest for the contemporary country crowd. Van Lear Rose exceeds all expectations--a bold collaboration in which artists from two different musical universes forge a memorable work that neither could have created alone. --Marc Greilsamer
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