The First Song Loretta Lynn Ever Wrote

Loretta Lynn Whispering Sea Loretta Lynn is releasing her first new studio album since her 2004 collaboration with Jack White, Van Lear Rose. The upcoming album, Full Circle, sounds like it will have been worth waiting for.

The new album, produced by Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash, delves into Lynn’s roots and influences. According to her website, Full Circle “takes listeners on a journey through Loretta’s musical story, from the Appalachian folk songs and gospel music she learned as a child, to new interpretations of her classic hits and country standards, to songs newly-written for the project.”

A few guests pop up on the new album too. Willie Nelson joins Lynn on “Lay Me Down,” while Elvis Costello provides guest vocals on “Everything It Takes.”

The 83-year-old singer-songwriter also includes a new version of the first song she ever wrote, “Whispering Sea.” In the song about heartbreak, the singer recounts how she learned from the whispering sea that her lover had been untrue. In the chorus, she sings: “Whispering sea rolling by, why don’t you listen to me cry? / I cry because my love has proved untrue.”

The tracks are not available for listening yet, but below you check out a performance of “Whispering Sea” where Lynn was joined onstage by Jack White.

Loretta Lynn’s Full Circle is available for pre-order and will hit stores and the Internet on March 4, 2016.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Wanda Jackson, The Queen of Rockabilly and Rock

    Queen of Rock

    On October 20, 1937, Wanda Jackson was born in Maud, Oklahoma. In the 1950s and 1960s, she was a pioneering female rockabilly singer, earning herself the nicknames “The Queen of Rockabilly” and “The Queen of Rock.”

    Jackson is still around and touring. Most recently, Jackson released her thirty-first studio album Unfinished Business in 2012.

    Below, a young Wanda Jackson performs “Sparklin’ Brown Eyes.” Check it out.

    And for something more recent, here is the video for “Tore Down,” which is from 2012’s Unfinished Business.

    Finally, here is Wanda Jackson on The Late Show with David Letterman in 2011 singing “Shakin’ All Over.” She is backed by Jack White on guitar.

    [Update Oct. 2017]  Finally, Jackson is releasing a new memoir about her amazing career entitled, Every Night Is Saturday Night: A Country Girl’s Journey To The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

    Happy birthday Ms. Jackson.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Jack White’s “Love Interruption”

    Jack White Blunderbuss Love Interruption

    Jack White, formerly of The White Stripes, is getting ready to release his first solo CD. The new song “Love Interruption” from White’s new forthcoming solo CD Blunderbuss is coming out April 23.

    I like the bluesy feel of the song provided by the keyboard, so I’m looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.

    What do you think of Jack White’s new song? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    White Stripes Ending: I’m Lonely in Portland

    White Stripes – im Lonely But I Aint That Lonely Yet I‘m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet) – The White Stripes (press play)

    Last week, The White Stripes announced that the band “has officially ended and will make no further new recordings or perform live.” In the announcement, Meg White and Jack White noted that the end is not due to differences or to any health issues. The split is for many reasons, “but mostly to preserve what is beautiful and special about the band and have it stay that way.” They conclude with a warm thank you to the fans:

    White Stripes Under Great White Northern Lights

    “The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”

    The news may not be that surprising to most people, as Jack White has been working on other projects for several years, including his work as part of the bands The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather. But he was most identified with The White Stripes, and he and Meg even appeared on an episode of The Simpsons. On the other hand, considering that they were married when the band formed in 1997 (although they initially claimed they were brother and sister), and then divorced in 2000, in some ways it is amazing that they worked together for so long.

    I have a few albums by The White Stripes, and it always impressed me how they got such big sound with just two people. One of their quieter songs, though, is “I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t that Lonely Yet)” off their Get Behind Me Satan CD. It is a beautiful song, simply about being lonely, missing people, and contemplating suicide. Although it is not as loud as many of their other songs, it is still powerful with Jack White’s voice singing over the piano.

    I also have a strong fondness for Jack White’s work outside the band. So I hope the news of the White Stripes’s demise means he will spend more time on work like he did with Loretta Lynn for her album Van Lear Rose (2004). Below is their duet of the song, “Portland, Oregon.” The song is about a one-night stand:

    Well Portland Oregon and sloe gin fizz
    If that ain’t love then tell me what is
    Well I lost my heart it didn’t take no time
    But that ain’t all. I lost my mind in Oregon

    His guitar work on the song adds great texture, and the rock band sound contrasted with Lynn’s country voice created a modern classic. The long 97-second instrumental build-up to Lynn’s voice is perfect. One of my favorite parts of the video is that White and Lynn do not seem to know how to look at each other. I assume if they were closer in age, they would have been gazing lustfully at each other like lovers while they sang. Instead, they look like a couple of friends — or mother and son — singing about a one-night stand.

    The song won “Best Country Collaboration with Vocals” at the Grammys, but is it country? I do not know. I just like it.

    Will you miss The White Stripes? Leave a comment.

    Bonus Documentary: The band was profiled in the 2009 documentary The Great White Northern Lights.

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