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Eilen Jewell

Butcher Holler: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn

(Signature Sounds; US: 27 Jul 2010; UK: 9 Aug 2010)

Loretta Lynn came out of Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, and hit the country music charts like a lightning strike. Her outspoken, no-nonsense songs refused to shrink away from topics that female singers of her time were expected to avoid. “Fist City” and “You Ain’t Woman Enough (To Take My Man)”, for example, hold obvious hints of danger, while songs like “Another Man Loved Me Last Night” might raise a few eyebrows even now. Eilen Jewell revisits Lynn’s catalog on Butcher Holler, shining a light on obscurities as well as classics. Jewell has carved out her own niche with a smokey, noirish sound, full of shadows and reverb (her upcoming album isn’t called Queen of the Minor Key for nothing). Consequently, her take on Lynn’s songs often sets a very different mood. Jewell doesn’t attempt to redefine Lynn’s songs; instead, her breezy, often smiling delivery marks Butcher Holler as a labor of love. Backed by her crack band, Jewell sticks close to the unadorned heart of the songs and honors one of her biggest influences.

Rating:

Andrew Gilstrap is a freelance writer living in South Carolina, where he's able to endure the few weeks each year that it's actually freezing (swearing a vow that if he ever moves, it'll be even further south). Aging into a fine curmudgeon whose idea of heaven is 40 tree-covered acres away from the world, he increasingly wishes he were part of a pair of twins, just so he could try being the kinda evil one on for size. Musically, he's always scouring records for that one moment that makes him feel like he's never heard music before, but he long ago realized he needs to keep his copies of John Prine, Crowded House, the Replacements, Kate Bush, and Tom Waits within easy reach.


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