Most people can’t even fathom the idea of having a music career that lasts for 50 albums. Yet on Friday, that’s exactly what Loretta Lynn achieved when she released ‘Still Woman Enough’. Although the majority of the album is covers and reimaginations of her own previous hits, what Lynn showed us all is that she has no plans of slowing down.
There’s only one brand-new song on this collection and that is the title track ‘Still Woman Enough’. The lyrics perfectly emulate the presence that Loretta Lynn carries in country music. To further drive home the point that women can do anything they want at any age, she brought along two other living legends, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood, to make a superstar collaboration. The only flaw in this song, which happened several times throughout the album, is there was a disjointedness among vocals and production. It’s almost as if there was a separation in the two key components rather than a blending.
Seven of the thirteen tracks on this album were re-recordings of some of Lynn’s biggest hits, a couple with new voices added to the mix. ‘One’s On The Way’ was a hit back in 1971, but adding Margo Price gave it a new layer that both adds some natural quality to the song while still not taking anything away from the original. Unfortunately, adding Tanya Tucker onto the 1966 hit ‘You Ain’t Woman Enough’ only proved that more isn’t always better. Tucker’s deeper tone just didn’t mesh well with Lynn’s and it just made me want to listen to the original.
Other standout songs on this album include ‘My Love’, originally released in 1968, and the hymn ‘Where No One Stands Alone’, recorded by Lynn in 1965. The latter had the most modern arrangement and also had the most emotion in her voice. Although ‘My Love’ was released more than 50 years ago, it’s a timeless song that Lynn clearly still enjoys singing.
Though there isn’t a lot of new material on this album, ‘Still Woman Enough’ is worth listening to, simply because it’s Loretta Lynn. To listen to it in full, click here.
