PopMatters ranks the top 100 of the year, and Loretta Lynn clocks in at number 14. Have you heard it? "Truly a record for all seasons, Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose sounds just as good driving towards the water with the windows open on a summer day as it does when the skies are gray and snow is falling. It's the one to put on when you're not certain what you want to listen to because it always sounds great. Loretta Lynn sings as if the world attempted to break her and she returned not only triumphant, but with a brighter gleam in her eye. Jack White, in his best role yet, adds all of the atmosphere and attitude, with a surprisingly subtle touch. 'Portland Oregon', the best single of the year, is the aural equivalent of unwittingly biting into a hot pepper -- at first you're only aware of something being different, and then suddenly, you're on fire. With Loretta belting these out so wondrously, one ponders when mainstream country music executives will catch on to what the world really needs: more, and more, and more of this." "Loretta Lynn joins forces with blues-punker Jack White in the unlikeliest pairing of the year and the results are stunning -- a raw and honest work that surprisingly has garnered some play on conventional country radio. White provides an energetic impulse on the disc, his burning guitar and crystal clear production turning raw and edgy country songs like 'Family Tree' -- a song in which the singer stands up to her husband's mistress -- and the barroom romp 'Portland Oregon' into new country classics. Lynn's voice on Van Lear Rose offers a connection to the past without giving up anything to that past, a drawl-soaked soprano that floats in on angel's wings - though, her phrasing and range remind the listener that she is no push over." Best Music of 2004 |
