Metascore
97

Universal acclaim - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. Blender
    100
    Some of the most gripping singing you're going to hear all year.... A brave, unrepeatable record that speaks to her whole life. [May 2004, p.123]
  2. Mojo
    100
    Lynn's voice... is as strong as it was during her heyday, while her songwriting ability has only increased with age. [Jun 2004, p.98]
  3. Under The Radar
    100
    It's just that damn good. [#7]
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    Crackling with a bristling immediacy, Van Lear Rose yanks Lynn into the present while never abandoning musical traditions that continue to define her, her voice, and her material. [30 Apr 2004, p.160]
  5. 100
    The duo's collaboration on Van Lear Rose is unexpectedly gripping, a raucous slice of vintage Nashville fuelled by Lynn's down-home wisdom, twangy gee-tars and White's inspired hand at production.
  6. The beauty of the album rests in Loretta Lynn's exceptional songwriting.
  7. A darkly compelling masterpiece that taps into the pitch-black id of Johnny Cash’s best records.
  8. Spin
    100
    The toughest record ever made by a former mainstream country artist.... If all the songs don't rival her finest work, the arrangements pull them up. [May 2004, p.105]
  9. Uncut
    100
    White's willfully basic approach is what gives Van Lear Rose its freshness.... If you thought Rick Rubin's Johnny Cash reinvention was impressive, wait 'til you grab a fistful of this. [Album of the Month, June 2004, p.84]
  10. The most personally felt, universally inclusive record of her career.
  11. Van Lear Rose is remarkably bold, celebratory and honest. It's a homecoming for a small-town musician gifted with poise, humor and compassion, but at its very heart, it's happy to be just a kick-ass country record.
  12. The fact that a woman of Lynn's tenure can slide so easily into what is essentially an alt-country environment without losing any of her down-home authenticity simply underscores her versatility and timelessness.
  13. Recast[s] her matchless mountain holler and ever-sturdy songwriting genius in the milieu of gut-bucket blues riffs and blistering rock guitar, making Lynn sound not so much reinvigorated as reimagined, given a raucously purposeful, wildly authoritative new playground for her still-terrific proto-feminist (even in 2004) tropes.
  14. Q Magazine
    90
    Nothing short of remarkable. [Jun 2004, p.102]
  15. Her voice sounds so goddamn fresh, spontaneous, uncompromised. There's an intensely visceral quality to these performances that is so utterly compelling.
  16. The result is genuine alt-country at a time when the term has come to signify little more than middling acoustic rock.
  17. 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.
  18. A rich, rewarding showcase for a woman whose voice, spirit, and energy have not faded.
  19. 90
    Perhaps the album of her career.
  20. The final product exceeds the hype.
  21. Van Lear Rose exceeds all expectations, a bold collaboration in which artists from two different musical universes forge a memorable work that neither could have created alone.
  22. The A.V. Club
    90
    Given a chance to be herself, Lynn responds with a powerful return to form. [28 Apr 2004]
  23. Lynn and White weren't straining to make history, just a damn good Loretta Lynn album. But it sure sounds classic anyway.
  24. Kudos to White's preservation of Lynn's loving, narrative songwriting even when paired with his own grittier sensibilities. In doing so, the two unlikely bedfellows have cut a classic.
  25. It’s not as remarkable a transformation as the one Rick Rubin performed on Johnny Cash, but this is a fine collection and as pleasurable a listen as it undoubtedly was to record.
  26. White’s arrangements and production are simple and effective, clear without gloss.
  27. Less rehearsal, less production, and fewer layers of sound let Loretta's Lorettaness shine through.
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 141 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 17 out of 141
  1. IxatA.
    Sep 19, 2007
    10
    Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose surpasses all of my favorite artists' album(and that includes bjork and white's band)... miss Loretta Lynn's Van Lear Rose surpasses all of my favorite artists' album(and that includes bjork and white's band)... miss being mrs and portland oregon are just exceptional. Full Review »
  2. Jun 22, 2023
    6
    I guess there are things about country music only americans can enjoy. Because I don't know about this one.
    Of course Loretta Lynn tackles
    I guess there are things about country music only americans can enjoy. Because I don't know about this one.
    Of course Loretta Lynn tackles issues like never before, addressing new themes in original way. Of course making records for a woman of her condition and era is a miracle, the proof of terrific fights, devotion and abnegation. Of course the production of this album is amazing. It is incredible that she harvested the credit she deserves.
    But to me it is lacking some things... First I found the lyrics and storytelling quite poor and redundant ('High on a Mountain' or 'Trouble on the Line' for example). Songs are often a compilation of three or four verses of two or three lines only, and lines that don't bring much content. In addition to that, some tracks are jut weird in their construction and/or storytelling, as 'Little Red Shoes' may be.
    It's still entertaining, but it's far from revolutionizing music as the critics would have us believe.
    Full Review »
  3. Jan 24, 2018
    10
    I've always loved Loretta - I'm a big country fan all around. But there's something about her story, her perseverance, the clever simplicityI've always loved Loretta - I'm a big country fan all around. But there's something about her story, her perseverance, the clever simplicity of her song writing, and her vocal phrasing - it all works to perfection. The emotion and nostalgia that she is able to portray with her voice is incredible.

    This album marked a return after her husband died in 1996, and introduced her to a whole new generation. It moves from alt country, to bluesy Americana, Appalachian mountain music to bluegrass effortlessly. She wrote every song on the album, and the standout - Portland, Oregon - with Jack White.

    My favourite track is the title - Van Lear Rose. You can picture the story within the story, and just get carried away to another place. I really couldn't recommend it enough.

    Jack White offers a superb production - leaving Loretta's voice to shine for the most part, but giving her a very modern turn.

    It won the Grammy for Best Country Album, and was a very deserved winner. Loretta recently had a stroke and fractured her hip - she's 85yo. I hope she is around for a few years yet as she's got at least 5 albums of material she's recorded over the past few years to release.
    Full Review »