Van Lear Rose
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Van Lear Rose is an album by Loretta Lynn, released in 2004 and produced by Jack White of the rock band the White Stripes. The album was initially intended as a musical experiment, blending the styles of country singer-songwriter 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. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at number 24 on the Billboard 200, the most successful crossover music album of Lynn's 45-year career.
The track "Portland, Oregon" was listed as the 305th best song of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media.[1]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Blender | [3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A) [4] |
| Pitchfork Media | (9.3/10) [5] |
| Rolling Stone |  [6] |
| Spin | [7] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [8] |
| Uncut | [9] |
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 to date[update].[10] 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."[11] 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."[12] Rhapsody ranked the album #16 on its "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" list.[13] "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 -- 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 -- literally -- 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."
Track listing
All tracks are written by Loretta Lynn, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Van Lear Rose" | 3:50 | |
| 2. | "Portland, Oregon" (duet with Jack White) | 3:49 | |
| 3. | "Trouble on the Line" | Loretta Lynn, Oliver Lynn | 2:21 |
| 4. | "Family Tree" | 3:03 | |
| 5. | "Have Mercy" | 2:35 | |
| 6. | "High on a Mountain Top" | 2:44 | |
| 7. | "Little Red Shoes" | Loretta Lynn (lyrics), Jack White (music) | 3:33 |
| 8. | "God Makes No Mistakes" | 1:45 | |
| 9. | "Women's Prison" | 4:16 | |
| 10. | "This Old House" | 1:56 | |
| 11. | "Mrs. Leroy Brown" | 3:38 | |
| 12. | "Miss Being Mrs." | 2:50 | |
| 13. | "Story of My Life" | 2:40 | |
| 14. | "Just to Have You Back (2015 Third Man Vault Edition Bonus Track)" |
Personnel
- Loretta Lynn - vocals, guitar
- David Feeny - pedal guitar, steel guitar, dobro, percussion, background vocals
- Patrick Keeler - drums, percussion, background vocals
- "Little" Jack Lawrence - bass, 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
- Brendan Benson - engineer
- Eric McConnell - engineer
- Stuart Sikes - mixing
Chart performance
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Norwegian Album Charts[14] | 32 |
| Swedish Album Charts[15] | 23 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums[16] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[16] | 24 |
Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Van Lear Rose | Best Country Album[17] | Won |
| "Portland, Oregon" | Best Country Collaboration with Vocals[17] | Won | |
| "Miss Being Mrs." | Best Country Song[18] | Nominated | |
| "Portland, Oregon" | Best Country Song[18] | Nominated | |
| "Miss Being Mrs." | Best Female Country Vocal Performance[19] | Nominated |
References
- ^ [1] Archived 2011-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Van Lear Rose at AllMusic
- ^ Blender review
- ^ EW review
- ^ Pitchfork Media review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ May 2004, p.105
- ^ Tiny Mix Tapes
- ^ June 2004, p.84
- ^ (2004). "Van Lear Rose" Metacritic.com (accessed June 19, 2007)
- ^ (Blender, 2004, p. 123)
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2004). "Review" AMG.com (accessed June 19, 2007)
- ^ "Country’s Best Albums of the Decade" Retrieved 19 June 2010.
- ^ "Van Lear Rose", Norwegian Charts [2] (Retrieved August 6, 2011)
- ^ "Van Lear Rose", Swedish Charts [3] (Retrieved August 6, 2011)
- ^ a b Van Lear Rose at AllMusic
- ^ a b "Past Winners Search | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com. Retrieved 7 August 2011.
- ^ a b "Complete list of Grammy nominees". The San Francisco Chronicle. 7 December 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2011. Cite error: The named reference "sfgate.com" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Complete list of Grammy nominees". The San Francisco Chronicle. 7 December 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2011.
