2021 studio album by Loretta Lynn
Still Woman Enough is the forty-sixth and final solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on March 19, 2021, by Legacy Recordings. The album was produced by Lynn's daughter Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash, the son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. The album shares its title with Lynn's 2002 autobiography.
The album was the fourth in a planned series of five albums[1] recorded at Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, following Full Circle (2016), White Christmas Blue (2016), and Wouldn't It Be Great (2018). The album is a mixture of new songs and new versions of songs Lynn has previously recorded.
Background
Following the release of 2018's Wouldn't It Be Great, which had to be postponed several times after Lynn suffered a stroke in May 2017, she took a hiatus from releasing new music throughout 2019 and 2020. Her musical output during these two years totaled just two songs. She and sister Peggy Sue were featured on the song "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" from sister Crystal Gayle's album You Don't Know Me in 2019[2] and Lynn released one single in 2020, a cover of Patsy Cline's hit "I Fall to Pieces", to promote her book Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline.[3]
On January 2, 2021, Lynn teased the possibility of a new album in a Facebook post saying, "I am so glad it's a new year! I'm looking forward to some new projects in 2021."[4]
The album cover features Lynn wearing a newly designed couture dress inspired by the dress she wore on the cover of her 1971 album Coal Miner's Daughter. It was specifically created for the album by her long-time dressmaker Tim Cobb.[5]
Previous recordings
Seven songs from the album are new versions of songs previously recorded by Lynn:
Release and promotion
The album was announced on January 4, 2021, the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Lynn's Coal Miner's Daughter album.[6] The album was made available for preorder the same day. It was released on March 19, 2021 on LP, CD, and digital download.
Singles
The first single from the album, a recitation of Lynn's signature song "Coal Miner's Daughter", was released on January 4[7] along with its music video. The David McClister directed video was filmed on July 9, 2020 at Lynn's ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.[6]
"One's on the Way", a duet with Margo Price, was released as the second single on February 19, 2021.[8]
Critical reception
Still Woman Enough received mostly positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Still Woman Enough has an average score of 76 based on 11 reviews.[9]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave the album four out of five stars. He noted that while there is "only one new Lynn original...her voice sounds frankly astonishing."[12] Mojo also gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "Lynn's show, and she and the band are on fine form."[13] In another four star review for NME, Leonie Cooper said that Lynn's message remains the same, "with the focus on women’s innate strength and capabilities."[14]
Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of five stars, praising Lynn for "sounding as tough as ever and reaffirming her badass credentials."[16] Uncut rated the album seven out of ten, saying that it "may be sustained by [Lynn's] memories, but it's not overshadowed by them."[18]
The album's lowest rating came from Stephen Thomas Erlewine at AllMusic. He rated the album three out of five stars, saying that "the format doesn't seem as fresh as it did back in 2016...due to it being the fourth in a series of albums." He felt that "on its own merits, Still Woman Enough is strong and vibrant, a testament to Lynn's enduring gifts and place in the firmament of 20th century country music."[10]
Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes.
Performance
- Mike Bub – upright bass (track 3), bass (track 8, 13)
- Shawn Camp – mandolin (tracks 2, 4–5, 9-10, 13), acoustic guitar (tracks 3, 7–8, 11), backing vocals (track 11)
- John Carter Cash – electric guitar (tracks 1, 7), acoustic guitar (track 1)
- Charlie Chadwick – cello (track 12)
- Matt Combs – fiddle (tracks 1, 6–7)
- Dennis Crouch – upright bass (tracks 1–2, 10, 12)
- Paul Franklin – steel (tracks 3, 7–8, 13)
- Tony Harrell – piano (tracks 3–4, 7–9, 11, 13)
- Jamie Hartford – electric guitar (tracks 1, 3, 7–8, 12–13), acoustic guitar (tracks 4, 9, 11)
- Rick Lonow – drums (tracks 1, 3–4, 7–9, 11–13)
- Loretta Lynn — lead vocals (all tracks)
- Ronnie McCoury – mandolin (track 1, 12)
- Reba McEntire – lead vocals (track 1)
- Pat McLaughlin – mandolin (tracks 3, 7–8), acoustic guitar (track 13)
- Larry Perkins – banjo (tracks 3, 7–8, 13)
- Margo Price – lead vocals (track 7)
- Suzi Ragsdale – backing vocals (track 2)
- Dave Roe – upright bass (track 5)
- Randy Scruggs – acoustic guitar (tracks 1, 3, 7–8, 12–13)
- Will Smith – autoharp (track 10)
- Tanya Tucker – lead vocals (track 13)
- Robby Turner – dobro (tracks 1, 4), steel (track 9, 11–12)
- Carrie Underwood — lead vocals (track 1)
- Pete Wade – electric guitar (tracks 4, 9, 11)
- Jeff White – acoustic guitar (tracks 2, 5, 10)
- Laura Weber White – acoustic guitar (tracks 1–5, 7–13), fiddle (tracks 11–12), backing vocals (track 11)
- Mark W. Winchester – upright bass (tracks 4, 9, 11)
Production
- Trey Call – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 7, 13), production management (Cash Cabin Enterprises), second engineer
- Richard Dodd – mastering (all tracks)
- John Carter Cash – producer (all tracks)
- Joseph Cash – production assistant, additional engineering
- Forrest Cashion – production assistant
- Lauren Moore – production assistant
- Lowell Reynolds – recording (Tanya Tucker vocals on track 13)
- Patsy Lynn Russell – producer (all tracks)
- Chuck Turner – recording (all tracks), mixing (all tracks)
Other personnel
- Frank Harkins – art direction and design
- Russ Harrington – front and back photography
- John Jackson – A&R (Sony Legacy)
- David McClister – inside sleeve photo
