Album Review: Loretta Lynn’s “Full Circle”

Album Review: Loretta Lynn’s “Full Circle”

The Queen of Country Music has returned to the recording studio after a 10-year break and has brought us a very delightful and very simple album that speaks of her Appalachian upbringing and her love of the simple country life.

“Full Circle” is the 55^th studio album by the 83-year-old Lynn on the Sony label. It was produced at Cash Cabin Studios by her daughter Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash, son of the late Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash. Lynn has been a long-time beloved performer for almost 60 years, gracing many stages. She is a self-taught guitarist and not only was she one of the first women in music to write many of her own songs but she is also the most award-winning female artists in the country music genre. Her collaboration with Jack White for her 2004 album “Van Lear Rose” also showed us that she is open to innovative musical ideas. “Van Lear Rose” won Lynn the 2005 Grammy for Best Country Album.

“Full Circle” has 13 tracks, mostly new songs written by Lynn. She does a beautiful rendition of one of her first songs ever written: “Whispering Sea” was originally recorded in 1968 and had a more twangy country sound, heavy with fiddle and guitar. For this release, the vocals are softer, the fiddle is replaced by steel guitar and piano, and it has less of a honky-tonk sound and more of a very light, lulling sound that is easy on the ears. She also redoes “Fist City,” which was first released in 1967 and originally had a faster beat and more of a hillbilly rock sound. Lynn slows the tempo just a tad and eases up again on the honky-tonk sound to make it more like a sweet and cheeky two-step song.

Another remake on this album is “Always On My Mind,” which has seen incarnations by Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, and — surprisingly enough — a disco rendition by The Pet Shop Boys. While this is a very sweet and sentimental love song, I am a little tired of hearing it over and over again by everyone and their mother. But Lynn does make it a little nicer to hear with her light vocal range, which seems better suited for these lyrics.

Lynn is joined on two separate songs by Willie Nelson and Elvis Costello. Costello joins her on “Everything It Takes,” a song about a heart-breaking woman who doesn’t come off too angry or sappy. I found myself a bit surprised to hear how well Lynn’s and Costello’s vocals blend together on the chorus. Again, steel guitar infused with acoustic guitar and piano make it sound light and easy and evoke images of summer-night slow dances. “Lay Me Down” features her sharing vocals with Willie Nelson throughout the whole song. Done with mostly acoustic guitar at the beginning, it slowly adds fiddle and barely-there piano to make a very nice and delightful melody.

Overall, this album brings the career of Loretta Lynn “Full Circle.” With songs that touch on her youth, her career, and her personal musings (“Who’s Going To Miss Me When I’m Gone”), one feels that Lynn has given us a peek at her heart and soul. Her voice sounds better than ever and doesn’t give any hint of giving out on her yet. She keeps the beat light and the tone sweet and gives enough steel guitar and fiddle to tell you that this is a country album without being twangy. It’s a pure delight to listen to.