Loretta Lynn
Still Woman Enough
Legacy
Mar 17, 2021 Web Exclusive
Loretta Lynn has broken enough ground in her career to make way for the paving of a few interstate highways. To say that her 50th album as a solo artist doesn’t chart any new territory may be true. But at 88 years old, Lynn’s voice remains strong and surrounded by a few friends she romps her way through a baker’s dozen of traditional songs, her own classics, and one new song. The fresh entry and opener, “Still Woman Enough,” features Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood and serves as an answer song for Lynn’s own “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” which is re-recorded here as the closer. Lynn more than holds her own vocally with the duo and it is a bit mind boggling to think that McEntire was eight years old when Lynn’s first album was released.
Of the two duets on the album, the somewhat outmoded “One’s On tThe Way” fares best. The honky-tonk pacing is lively and guest Margo Price lends a particularly coy vocal turn that melds well with Lynn’s more forceful lead. And perhaps it’s Lynn’s command of “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” but the huskier voiced Tanya Tucker is overshadowed somewhere down in the mix. But no matter, the balance of the album showcases Lynn on her own and there are some gems here. Her spoken word recitation of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” makes for a good retrospective of her life. The sparer traditional songs (“Keep on the Sunny Side,” “I Saw the Light”) work best, allowing Lynn’s vocals to shine through. She has no problem hitting the high notes or tossing in a little vibrato at the right moment.
Lynn has led a life characterized by toughness and her ability to survive against the odds. It may sound foolish to say it, but Lynn shows no sign of slowing down here. The album may not tug at the heartstrings like June Carter Cash’s posthumous Wildwood Flower, but Still Woman Enough serves as testament to Lynn’s resilience and refusal to lie down. There aren’t many freshly minted traditional country albums being released today, so Still Woman Enough certainly fits that bill. (www.lorettalynn.com)
Author rating: 7/10
Average reader rating: 5/10
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