Coming Up Roses Top Ten: Van Lear Rose (#8)

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Hooray! Doctor’s appointment day. I get to hear my doctor congratulate me on my weight loss journey. (Then he’ll tell me everything else that’s wrong. That’s the way doctors work, y’know. ) Before the thorny trip to the VA I’ll give you another song with “rose” in the title. Buckle up. #8: Van Lear Rose - Loretta Lynn So what happens when you put one of country music’s greatest icons together with a rocker? THIS. It’s like that mixing of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss….sounds weird on paper, but put it on vinyl and listen. In this case, Loretta Lynn’s 2004 album, produced by Jack White (of the White Stripes), was a stinking MASTERPIECE. You’re talking about a woman who, at the time, was 72, and a guy who was young enough to be her grandson (White was 28 when he produced this). You know how I don’t like pop country. The interesting thing with this is Loretta and her “you’re lookin’ at country” traditionalism is never lost, even when she’s rocking out with White on “Portland, Oregon.” If you’ve never heard this album, or only heard the hype, believe me the “hype” is truth, and this album is with a listen or 80. Van Lear Rose Written by Loretta Lynn Recorded by Loretta Lynn From Van Lear Rose, 2004 She was the belle of Johnson County: