The Queen of Country herself, Loretta Lynn, has just announced a hand-picked list of artists for forthcoming tribute album Coal Miner's Daugher: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn, out the 9th of November in the US.
As you'd expect the list features a crash course in big-name contemporary country music singers rubbing shoulders with a few veteran greats. However a couple of surprising bands also crop up in the mix.
Paramore will be turning in a version of 'You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man). I'll be upfront, I initially wanted to write this little comment piece to rip on the fact that these extra names felt record label-shoehorned in. Paramore are pixie-stix filled with ground glass: a sweet jagged sugar rush to be sure, but they'll leave you with one hell of a headache if you aren't careful. Could they manage a Loretta Lynn song, particularly one as well known as 'You Ain't Woman Enough...' and not butcher it in some fashion? Well...
That's not too bad. I feel more confident about it than I did a google search earlier, but it all depends if they stick with that stye. I can see with painful ease the ability for them to take that audience reaction and turn it into a hardcore teeny-bopper fist pumping anthem. We'll just have to wait and see.
The other major surprise is the presence of Kid Rock squeezing out a version of 'I Know How.' Unlike Paramore, a google search only turns up references to the fact that he'll be on the tribute album, so I have nothing to assuage me this time. However his highest charting track is Picture, a country ballad he recorded with Sheryl Crow, so we'll use that.
The track is a little bland, but once again nothing offensive is going on. It should of course be noted that this was something of a sea change for Kid Rock, and to an extent even for Sheryl Crow. So I'm torn. I don't really like 'Picture.' I don't really like Kid Rock. However I am dying to hear him quietly croon 'I love him like he wants me to and I know how,' which might almost make it all worth it. I suppose it could be worse. He could just sample 'I Know How' then spit half rhymes about groping pills or whatever 'All Summer Long' was about.
The White Stripes are the final odd ones out on the list, but their presence is both easily justifiable and easily explained. Jack White has been adulating Loretta Lynn since he was four years old, dedicating White Blood Cells to her and finally producing her grammy award winning comeback album Van Lear Rose. Their contribution to the tribute album, 'Rated X,' has been a staple of their live set for years sung by either Meg or Jack:
Honestly, even without that evidence I wouldn't have been that worried about the Stripes. They've consistently proven they can handle country and blues, and I feel convinced their presence will feel natural with the other more traditionally country artists.
So I turn it out to you, the Internet. What do you think of the artist list? Anyone you would've rather seen on there? *cough*Mary Gauthier*cough* Are my fears unfounded? The world must know!
-Dashiell 'The Coal Miner's Canary' Asher
