Van Lear Rose is a Loretta Lynn album produced by Jack White of the band The White Stripes; the album was initially intended as a musical experiment, blending the styles of country singer/songwriter Lynn and producer White, who wrote one track, sings a duet with Lynn on another, and performs on the whole album as a musician. The title refers to Lynn's origins as the daughter of a miner working the Van Lear coal mines. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and at number 24 on the Billboard 200, the most successful crossover music album of Lynn's 45-year career.
The album was released to glowing reviews and near universal acclaim. It received a rating of 97 at MetaCritic.com, the second highest score to date.[1] Blender magazine called the album "Some of the most gripping singing you're going to hear all year.... A brave, unrepeatable record that speaks to her whole life."[2] Stephen Thomas Erlewine with All Music Guide said that "The brilliance of Van Lear Rose is not just how the two approaches complement each other, but how the record captures the essence of Loretta Lynn's music even as it has flourishes that are distinctly Jack."[3]
