Van Lear Rose is the thirty-ninth studio album by American country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn, released on April 27, 2004 and produced by Jack White of the White Stripes. The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at No. 24 on the Billboard 200, the most successful crossover album of Lynn's 45-year career. The track "Portland, Oregon" was listed as the 305th best song of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media.
Background
Loretta Lynn & Jack White "Portland, Oregon" ‌‌ - Bohemia Afterdark - NEW Channel! Come Subscribe to Bohemia Afterdark's NEW Channel! We will be unlocking more of the music vault!
The album was initially intended as a musical experiment, blending the styles of Lynn and producer White, who wrote one track, sings a duet with Lynn, and performs on the whole album as a musician. At the time of the album's release, Lynn was 72 and White was 28. The title refers to Lynn's origins as the daughter of a miner working the Van Lear coal mines.
Critical reception
The album was released to glowing reviews and near universal acclaim. It received a rating of 97 at Metacritic.com, the joint-second highest score and the highest for a female to date. Blender magazine called the album "Some of the most gripping singing you're going to hear all year .... A brave, unrepeatable record that speaks to her whole life." Stephen Thomas Erlewine with Allmusic said that "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."Rhapsody ranked the album #16 on its "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" list, with the following commentary:
Jack White, of the bizarre and bluesy duo the White Stripes, produced this effort to jaw-dropping effect. Van Lear Rose is a stripped-down effort that isn't afraid to get dirty â€" both in its dark subject matter and in its raucous, gritty tones. And as much as this body of work highlights Lynn's down-home vocals (which are as strong as ever), it's White's production that sends her crashing â€" literally â€" into the 21st century. On paper, these two disparate souls have little in common, but the bold excitement of the music proves the two are a match made in heaven.
Accolades
Commercial performance
The album debuted at No. 2 on the Top Country Albums chart, and No. 24 on Billboard 200, selling 37,000 in its first week, the best sales week for Lynn in the Nielsen Music era.
It has sold over 233,000 copies in United States since September 2004.
Track listing
All tracks written by Loretta Lynn, except where noted.
Personnel
- Loretta Lynn - lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- David Feeny - pedal steel guitar, dobro, percussion, background vocals
- Patrick Keeler - drums, percussion, background vocals
- "Little" Jack Lawrence - bass guitar, percussion, background vocals
- Dan John Miller - acoustic guitar, percussion, background vocals
- Dirk Powell - fiddle, bowed bass, banjo
- Jack White - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, organ, piano, percussion, background vocals, duet vocals on "Portland, Oregon"
- Brendan Benson - engineer
- Eric McConnell - engineer
- Stuart Sikes - mixing
Chart performance
Awards
Grammy Awards
References
External links
- Van Lear Rose at Metacritic