Full Circle marks Loretta Lynn’s first album of new material since her 2004 collaboration with Jack White, Van Lear Rose and though now turned 80 the lady from Butcher Hollow, Kentucky still has enough in her locker to show the world when it comes to country music there’s few in this world better. Lynn’s Appalachian Mountain roots stand as proud today as they did back when she started some 55 years ago. Staying on the subject of back in her formative days, the first song she ever wrote “Whispering Sea” figures among the 13-songs.
With John Carter Cash the producer the record is termed as being volume one of the Cash Cabin Recordings, my mind is already running wild as to whom else Cash is to work with. Brought up on country and folk music Lynn revisits three traditional songs, and boy they sound good, likewise goes for her remake of the delightful “Fist City”, and when she sings the lines she sounds as convincing and passionate as her feisty tongue is given rein. With a host of wonderful players involved; ranging from Shawn Camp to Randy Scruggs by way of Dennis Crouch, Pat McLaughlin, Robby Turner, Jamie Hartford, Paul Franklin, Tony Harrell, Mark Fain, Rick Lonow, Sam Bush, Laura Weber Cash (fiddle), Mike Bubb, Will Smith and Ronnie McCoury to vocalists Ronnie Bowman, Jeff White and Jon Randall her support could not be finer.
Apart from her vintage country offerings, Lynn has a winner in her version of “I Will Never Marry”. On which she is accompanied by Scruggs (guitar) and Smith on autoharp, beautifully spare, and if ever there was the possibility Lynn was to fail it was here, but failure wasn’t in the script.
Producer John Carter Cash did a fine job on all fronts, arrangements, and on helping bring in the right songs for Loretta, the whole deal. Although I would rather “Secret Love” hadn’t made the cut there are no qualms regards Lynn’s cover of “Always On My Mind” (as covered by Elvis Presley and Willie Nelson), draped in sumptuous piano and steel guitar she puts it to bed in impressive fashion. Pick of the crop falls between traditional song “Black Jack David” and her own playful ode “Who’s Gonna Miss Me? Closely followed by remake of “Fist City” and the other two traditional cuts “I Never Will Marry” and “In The Pines” and equally superb “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven” as the lady with electric guitar (Hartford) and a rousing rhythm section in support lets her hair down. Of a mellow feel Loretta also gives an accomplished cover of pedal steel guitar laced “Band Of Gold”.
Lynn also features two duets; one with Elvis Costello “Everything It Takes” and the other an acoustic guitar, mandolin, bass and fiddle warmed “Lay Me Down” with country veteran Willie Nelson. Both though creditable, it’s the latter that contains the greater chemistry as a little extra is enticed from respective partner in terms of quality. I hope she squeezes in another album before she calls it a day, featuring a bunch more traditional songs would be as good a choice as anything!
Maurice Hope