Van Lear Rose

( 11 )

Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - David McGee
Loretta Lynn's teaming with producer Jack White -- of garage-rock chart-toppers the White Stripes -- has resulted in one of the finest albums of her exceptional career. For the most part, White casts Lynn's vocals in atmospheric, woozy settings, with trebly, serpentine guitar lines wafting around. No matter the soundscape, though: Lynn, now 70 years young, is singing with authority, commanding the spotlight. The grungy "Portland, Oregon," a duet with White, is suffused with her urgent blues twang lamenting the deleterious effects of too many sloe gin fizzes. "Women's Prison," a turgid tale of love, murder, and execution, is driven by screaming guitars, pounding drums, ...
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Editorial Reviews

Barnes & Noble - David McGee
Loretta Lynn's teaming with producer Jack White -- of garage-rock chart-toppers the White Stripes -- has resulted in one of the finest albums of her exceptional career. For the most part, White casts Lynn's vocals in atmospheric, woozy settings, with trebly, serpentine guitar lines wafting around. No matter the soundscape, though: Lynn, now 70 years young, is singing with authority, commanding the spotlight. The grungy "Portland, Oregon," a duet with White, is suffused with her urgent blues twang lamenting the deleterious effects of too many sloe gin fizzes. "Women's Prison," a turgid tale of love, murder, and execution, is driven by screaming guitars, pounding drums, and a steadily vamping gospel organ as Lynn, cool and collected, lays out in chilling detail her sensible reasons for gunning down an unfaithful lover. She's at her best when White lays back -- on the wrenching breakup ballad "Miss Being Mrs.," Lynn is backed solely by White's acoustic guitar, and the power of her muted delivery is profound. A malfunctioning telephone line serves as metaphor for a relationship's breakdown in a beautifully rendered honky-tonk-tinged weeper, "Trouble on the Line," with moaning pedal steel lines rising eerily behind Lynn's tear-stained reading. Whether it's a machine gun–like rock 'n' roll attack "Have Mercy" or a jubilant, fiddle-fired country two-step "High on a Mountain", Lynn is having the time of her life, digging into the serious themes with gusto and luxuriating in the simple pleasures of back-to-basics music making. Any way you cut it, Van Lear Rose is the sound of a great artist fully revitalized.
All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Loretta Lynn retired from the music business in the '90s, returning to her home in Nashville to take care of her husband, Oliver Lynn, as he was dying. As it happens, she left the spotlight at a time that was not kind to country legends like herself, as they were exiled from country radio and left with a fraction of their audience. Some tried to adjust to modern radio, some railed against it, and others, like Johnny Cash, retooled their sound and wound up appealing to a younger, hipper audience raised on alternative country. By the time Lynn decided to return to recording in 2000, Cash's path had been followed by other veterans like Merle Haggard, but Loretta turned out a fairly pedestrian comeback on Audium called Still Country, which garnered little attention, but then a funny thing happened. The following year, Detroit garage punk duo the White Stripes dedicated their breakthrough album, White Blood Cells, to Loretta and covered her "Rated X" as a B-side. Word worked its way back to Lynn, and soon she invited Jack and Meg White down to her home and, not long after that, she agreed to cut a new album with Jack as the producer, which wound up being 2004's Van Lear Rose. On paper, this sounds like a strange pairing, yet upon further inspection, it makes sense. Loretta Lynn has always been an independent spirit, taking risks within the confines of Nashville country, yet respecting the rules of Music City. Jack White works much the same way, adhering to traditional American musical conventions yet pushing against their borders, while imposing strict aesthetic rules for each of the White Stripes albums with the intent of giving each its own distinct feel. The brilliance of Van Lear Rose is not just how the two approaches complement each other, but how the record captures the essence of Loretta Lynn's music even as it has flourishes that are distinctly Jack, such as the slide guitar that powers their duet, "Portland Oregon." Upon its release, Lynn claimed that the album is "countrier than anything I've ever cut," which is no doubt a reference to the charmingly ragged, lively feel of Van Lear Rose. Working with a band of kindred garage punkers, including Dave Feeny of the Detroit-based country outfit Blanche, White insisted that Loretta and crew keep to a minimum of takes, preserving the energy and excitement of musicians cutting an album when the music is still fresh to their ears. Often, the classic records she made with Owen Bradley were cut in a handful of takes, but he was producing a fine-tuned machine. White, in contrast, keeps things loose and fresh, as if it was a jam session. The end result is quite different than Lynn's classic hits in terms of production, but the feel is strikingly similar, since White focuses on the essence of her music and subtly shifts his approach according to the demands of a song. If it demands it, he'll lay down some crunching guitar, as he does on the aforementioned "Portland Oregon" and the bluesy stomp "Have Mercy." He keeps things spare and sad on "Miss Being Mrs.," where Loretta is mourning the loss of her husband, and "This Old House" is lean and tattered, appropriate for the uptempo old-timey singalong. Unlike Rick Rubin's productions for Johnny Cash, which were deliberately somber and monochromatic, White's work on Van Lear Rose is multi-textured, with the layers of steel guitars, muffled drums, and echoed guitars lending a dramatic, impressionistic quality to the songs -- and unlike Daniel Lanois' productions, it feels organic, not studied. Van Lear Rose also gives equal import to every side of Lynn's persona, so this is equally sad and funny, sacred and secular. On a sheer sonic level, the album is enthralling -- it's easy to get lost in the music, and Lynn sings with a vigor that's startling for a woman of 70 -- but it's an instant classic because of how that sound is married to set of songs that are among the strongest she's ever had. On her last studio album, she wrote only one song. Here, she's penned all 13 tracks, and there's a sense that these are songs that she needed to get out of her, particularly in a setting as intimate as this. While not all the songs are as explicitly personal as "Miss Being Mrs.," that's for the best, since the variety of styles and types of songs on Van Lear Rose -- everything from heartache ballads and country rave-ups to story-songs and gospel -- illustrate the depth and range of her writing. These are songs that hold their own with her greatest hits, and while it's unlike anything else she's cut, this is surely one of her great albums.
Entertainment Weekly - Chris Willman
An instant country-rock classic that, with its intergenerational appeal and strong Grammy and critics' poll prospects, may be the album of a damn remarkable lifetime.
Blender - RJ Smith
Lynn has made a brave, unrepeatable record that speaks to her whole life.

An instant country-rock classic that, with its intergenerational appeal and strong Grammy and critics' poll prospects, may be the album of a damn remarkable lifetime.
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Product Details

  • Release Date: 4/27/2004
  • Label: Interscope Records
  • UPC: 602498189559
  • Catalog Number: 000251302
  • Sales rank: 7,465

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Van Lear Rose (3:50)
  2. 2 Portland Oregon - Jack White (3:49)
  3. 3 Trouble on the Line (2:21)
  4. 4 Family Tree (3:03)
  5. 5 Have Mercy (2:35)
  6. 6 High on a Mountain Top (2:44)
  7. 7 Little Red Shoes (3:34)
  8. 8 God Makes No Mistakes (1:45)
  9. 9 Women's Prison (4:16)
  10. 10 This Old House (1:56)
  11. 11 Mrs. Leroy Brown (3:38)
  12. 12 Miss Being Mrs. (2:50)
  13. 13 Story of My Life (2:40)
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Album Credits

Performance Credits
Loretta Lynn Primary Artist, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Dave Feeny Dobro, Percussion, Pedal Steel Guitar, Background Vocals, Slide Guitar, Group Member
Dirk Powell Banjo, Fiddle, Bass Guitar, Bowed Bass
Jack White Organ, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Electric Guitar, Vocals, Background Vocals, Group Member
Patrick Keeler Percussion, Drums, Background Vocals
Dan John Miller Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Background Vocals
Jack Lawrence Bass, Percussion, Bass Guitar, Background Vocals, Group Member
Technical Credits
Loretta Lynn Composer
Brendan Benson Engineer
Gavin Lurssen Mastering
Jack White Arranger, Composer, Producer, Audio Production
Eric McConnell Engineer
Nancy Russell Art Direction
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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 11 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(9)

4 Star

(1)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

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1 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    I Also Recommend:

    Fox Confessor Brings the Flood [Bonus CD]
    Middle Cyclone

    Everyone needs a little bit of country

    This album is so,so,good. I think I drive my neighbors crazy sometimes because I find myself blasting this CD. My favorite songs: Van Lear Rose (of course), Family Tree, Women's Prison, High on a mountaintop.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Kickin

    This is one of the best selections of music, I've ever come across. The blend of hard driving rock guitar with Loretta's poignant truthful songs makes me turn up the volume everytime.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Something For Nearly Everybody

    From the In Your Face "Family Tree" to the heartbreaking "Womens Prison", Loretta and Jack White combine for great music. Buy it, you'll like it.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    LORETTA LYNN- THE BEST IN COUNTRY MUSIC

    Loretta always has had the best music there is in country music, she always puts her HEART & SOUL INTO EVERYTHING SHE DOES. She is done it once more with this great new cd, it is a must for all who enjoy music. Loretta is a wonderful writer and a great singer and she has proven one more time for all her fans.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    It was a gift

    I received this CD as a gift and wasn't sure if I'd like it. Well, I do! This CD is great, and Loretta has a new fan.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    The Best Album Ever

    A wonderful album that you can't help but listen and just bow down to the Queen. Give this lady a grammy for this piece of work! This is not your mom's Loretta Lynn, but then again it is your mom's Loretta Lynn. This is just great music!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    GREAT ALBUM

    Such a change from the usual style that you would think of from a legend like Loretta Lynn. County with a bit of rock edge on many songs. I really liked it and think its a great change from the usual.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    GARAGE COUNTRY

    Van Lear Rose is a fantastic album. Produced by Jack White, the album sounds musically a cross of garage rock and classic country, with a singer who doesn't have to french women on MTV to stay popular. Remember when talent was a standard for stardom? I don't, but hey I'm 15!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    The best cd of the year

    I was not sure about the combo of Jack White and Loretta Lynn. I am a fan of both, but didnt really know how it was going to work together. This is pure gold! Every song takes you in a new direction - there are so many sounds on this cd and each one leads you smoothly to the next. This is the fist "out of the box" country cd I have heard in a long time (including the latest Cash material) that is not only viable,but smart, internal and complex as well as fun and a joy to listen to. This is a must have. JX3

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    Can't Get It Outta My Head

    At first listen I was taken aback....but a few more spins and I was hooked. Loretta is as feisty as ever on "Mrs. Leroy Brown", and her downhome mountaintop memories are a joy to behold. A great CD if you're looking for something different. You won't hear these songs on the radio, but this one will turn heads in the house when you blare it up on the stereo.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 22, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews