Loretta Lynn - Van Lear Rose
Critic Score
Based on 21 reviews
2004 Ratings: #5 / 458
User Score
Based on 73 ratings
2004 Rank: #127
Liked by 6 people
April 27, 2004 / Release Date
LP / Format
Interscope / Label
Alt-Country / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Tiny Mix Tapes
The beauty of the album rests in Loretta Lynn's exceptional songwriting.
100
SPIN

The toughest record ever made by a former mainstream country artist ... If all the songs don't rival her finest work, the arrangements pull them up.

100
Under the Radar
It's just that damn good.
100
Mojo

Lynn's voice ... is as strong as it was during her heyday, while her songwriting ability has only increased with age.

100
Entertainment Weekly

Crackling with a bristling immediacy, ”Van Lear Rose” yanks Lynn into the present while never abandoning musical traditions that continue to define her, her voice, and her material.

100
Uncut

White's willfully basic approach is what gives Van Lear Rose its freshness ... If you thought Rick Rubin's Johnny Cash reinvention was impressive, wait 'til you grab a fistful of this.

93
Pitchfork

Van Lear Rose is remarkably bold, celebratory and honest. It's a homecoming for a small-town musician gifted with poise, humor and compassion, but at its very heart, it's happy to be just a kick-ass country record.

90
Drowned in Sound
Her voice sounds so goddamn fresh, spontaneous, uncompromised. There's an intensely visceral quality to these performances that is so utterly compelling.
90
AllMusic

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.

80
The Guardian
The result is genuine alt-country at a time when the term has come to signify little more than middling acoustic rock.
80
Slant Magazine

While country radio probably won’t “get it,” and rock radio will most likely treat it as a trite novelty, the important thing to remember is that somehow, in the midst of the vacuous sucking sound that is modern music, soul music can still be heard, sung by the sweetest voices God gave breath to.

80
Rolling Stone
Lynn and White weren't straining to make history, just a damn good Loretta Lynn album. But it sure sounds classic anyway.
ocrakraut
90

Essential listening, read veery´s great review for the context. The soundscapes White created here are among his best. This is what a labor of love sounds like. Impressed me back then and stands the test of time.

80

Metacritic readers may recognize “Van Lear Rose” as one of the highest-rated albums on the website ever. Admittedly, some of the breathless critical acclaim is certainly due to the story behind the album — but damn, what a story. For the uninitiated, then-72-year-old Loretta Lynn had long been cast aside by the country music industry that ostensibly revered her earlier work, when Jack White tapped her for a collaboration that guaranteed the audience her talent and legend ... read more

treblafreeman
90

Firstly: RIP this album on spotify, RIP Loretta Lynn irl.
That said, while the rest of the album is pretty good standard country music, the first two tracks, holy shit, some of the best Country stuff I've ever heard, pure bangers.
And as I said, the rest, while still good well produced stuff, It's pretty straight forward common country, still it's better than most of the boring ass stuff out there.

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