Loretta Lynn, Jack White - Van Lear Rose

Everyone is familiar with the portrait of Loretta Lynn as the coal miner's daughter, but how about taking a look at her as Jack White's (of The White Stripes) protégée. Not to say that anyone with a career as long and respected as Lynn's needs much guidance, but if you're in the market for a bit of rejuvenation she couldn't have done better in picking the eccentric indie-minded White.

There's nothing here that will drive away the hard-core fans of classic country that have always flocked to the country crooner's shows dressed to the nines. What Jack White adds is just a little bit of shading, a slightly darker tone that perfectly matches Lynn's sometimes plaintive, but mostly spunky brand of country music.

The country legend has paid homage to her hardworking father numerous times, but the album's title track "Van Lear Rose' is a loving tribute to her mother. Lynn calls her a "diamond in the coal" and recounts the story of how her father swooped in and stole the county's most beautiful woman away before anyone else even stood a chance. The song is vintage Loretta Lynn at her storytelling best.

The hills and hollers of Kentucky, which obviously still hold a place in the singer's heart, also receive their fair share of love and attention. "High on a Mountain Top" is about as old-fashioned as they come, but only in the best sense of the word. Anyone who listens to this rousing jamboree would be hard pressed to keep their toes from tapping. It's a musical postcard to Kentucky that describes the residents as "high on life and rich in love".

The sassy side of Loretta Lynn, which has appeared numerous times throughout the years, is present on this album as well. "Family Tree" finds the country diva knocking on the door of the "other woman" with her babies in tow. It's a visit the woman won't soon forget as Lynn tears her down piece by piece until there isn't much left. "Mrs. Leroy Brown" finds her attacking the philandering husband himself. What better revenge than to take the money from the bank and hire a pink limousine for a night out on the town!

While Jack White is the album's producer, his signature style is most obvious on the tracks "Portland Oregon" and "Have Mercy". The former is duet with Lynn and it's tinged with just the right amount of dread and regret. Their voices, different and distinct as they are, blend together perfectly even if there is more than a little bit of a Benjamin Braddock/Mrs. Robinson vibe going on throughout the song. "Have Mercy" is a blues driven gospel hymn backed with a rock guitar. The powerful playing adds an exciting edge to Lynn's bouncy, booming vocals. It's a natural fit and it seems amazing that she's never attempted anything like this before.

A country album just wouldn't be a country album without a few mournful ballads, which Butcher Holler's favorite daughter delivers with grace and ease. On the track "God Makes No Mistakes" Lynn offers up absolute faith as a mechanism for coping with the bad times life throws our way. It's not an overly preachy message though.

You can almost see the country girl standing up straight and getting along just fine no matter what kind of hand life had dealt her. One of the album's final songs "Miss Being Mrs." is a fond remembrance of Lynn's late husband, the bigger-than-life Doolittle Lynn. While the couple were known to have a few knockdown drag out arguments throughout the years, the song shows that they must have also been extraordinary soul mates.

With an assist from Jack White, Loretta Lynn proves on Van Lear Rose that she's not about to lie down and sink into obscurity. While most women of her age (Lynne is in her 60s) are content to become nostalgia acts, this is one artist who isn't afraid to take a risk and reinvent herself.