| Van Lear Rose | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 27, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | c. January 2004 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 39:00 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Producer | Jack White | |||
| Loretta Lynn chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Van Lear Rose | ||||
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Van Lear Rose is the forty-second solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on April 27, 2004, by Interscope Records. The album was produced by Jack White. The album was widely praised by critics, peaking at No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at No. 24 on the Billboard 200, the most successful crossover album of Lynn's 60-year career at that point. The track "Portland Oregon" was listed as the 305th best song of the 2000s by Pitchfork Media.[1]
The album was initially intended as a musical experiment, blending the styles of Lynn and producer White. White also co-wrote one track, sings a duet with Lynn, and performs throughout the entire 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.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 97/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Blender | [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[5] |
| The Guardian |  [6] |
| Mojo | [7] |
| Pitchfork | 9.3/10[8] |
| Q | [9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| Spin | A[11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
The album was released to glowing reviews and universal acclaim. It received a rating of 97 at Metacritic, the fourth highest score ever and the second-highest for a female to date.[2] 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."[4] Stephen Thomas ErlewineofAllMusic 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."[3] Rhapsody ranked the album No. 16 on its『Country’s Best Albums of the Decade』list.
The album debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and No. 24 on the US Billboard 200, selling 37,000 in its first week, the best sales week for Lynn in the Nielsen Soundscan era.[13] It has sold over 233,000 copies in United States as of September 2004.[14]
The album's first single, "Miss Being Mrs.", was released in April 2004 and did not chart. Its music video premiered on May 23.[15] The second single, "Portland Oregon", was released in May and did not chart. Two music videos were shot for the single, the first one was filmed on May 18[16] and was not released. The second version premiered the week of October 25.[17]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Van Lear Rose | Best Country Album[18] | Won |
| "Portland Oregon" | Best Country Collaboration with Vocals[18] | Won | |
| Best Country Song[19] | Nominated | ||
| "Miss Being Mrs." | Best Country Song[19] | Nominated | |
| Best Female Country Vocal Performance[19] | Nominated |
| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pop Matters | The Best 100 Albums of the 2000s[20] | 2014 | 59 |
| Rolling Stone | 50 Country Albums Every Rock Fan Should Own[21] | 2015 | 12 |
| CMT | CMT 40 Greatest Albums[22] | Unknown | 18 |
| Country Universe | The 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade[23] | 2009 | 8 |
| Country Universe | 100 Greatest Contemporary Country Albums[24] | 2006 | 59 |
| Paste Magazine | The 50 Best Albums of the Decade[25] | 2009 | 48 |
| Rhapsody | Country's Best Albums of the Decade[25] | 2009 | 16 |
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" |
| 2:21 |
| 4. | "Family Tree" | 3:03 | |
| 5. | "Have Mercy" | 2:35 | |
| 6. | "High on a Mountain Top" | 2:44 | |
| 7. | "Little Red Shoes" |
| 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 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Just to Have You Back" | 3:32 |
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
