A genuine national treasure, Ms. Loretta Lynn returns to record store shelves this week with an absolutely gorgeous new release, Wouldn’t It Be Great. To herald its arrival we’ve got a copy of the release on vinyl and a signed lithograph to send to one of you! First however, some background on the new record:
“One of the most deeply personal albums of Loretta Lynn’s career, Wouldn’t It Be Great communicates in song the hard truths and spiritual insights Loretta has gathered throughout her life and reflects the resilience that sustains her still. Comprised entirely of songs written (or co-written) by Loretta, the album premieres new compositions alongside soulful reinterpretations of enduring classics from her catalog.
“This new record means so much to me, but this last year I had to focus on my health and I decided to hold up the release,” said Loretta. “I’m feelin’ good and look forward to it comin’ out. It was really important to me to be a part of it being released and I’m excited to celebrate with everybody!”
“Wouldn’t It Be Great?” is the last song Loretta wrote for her late husband (Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn). “Well,” Loretta observes, “my husband liked to drink a lot and that’s where that song comes from… ‘Say you love me just one time, with a sober mind’… I always liked that song but I never liked to sing it around Doo.” “That song just always meant so much to me,” continues their daughter (and album co-producer) Patsy Lynn Russell, “because of the lyrics, you know, ‘when my fancy lace couldn’t turn your face,’ it was just so powerful and was a song that needed to be recorded for this album with Loretta. It shows just how masterful my mom is with writing down her feelings.”
Like its predecessor, the critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated Full Circle (released March 2016), Wouldn’t It Be Great was mainly recorded at the Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, with producers Patsy Lynn Russell and John Carter Cash.
An exploration of Loretta’s songwriting, Wouldn’t It Be Great finds her communicating the universality of human experience–love in all its intoxication and heartbreak, the abiding things of soul and spirit, the transformative power of music and connecting to the world.
Wouldn’t It Be Great debuts new songs–“Ruby’s Stool,” “Ain’t No Time To Go,” “I’m Dying For Someone To Live For”–alongside newly recorded renditions of recent compositions (“God Makes No Mistakes,” from Lynn’s 2004 Grammy-winning Jack White-produced Van Lear Rose) and immortal classics like “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (the song Loretta says she’s most proud to have written, also the title of her 1976 memoir and subsequent Oscar-winning 1982 film adaptation) and “Don’t Come Home A’ Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind),” her first of 16 career No. 1 country singles.
A self-taught singer, songwriter and performer, Loretta Lynn is an archetype of American music, a singular artist whose music defined a genre and whose songs continue to inform new generations of musicians.”
Enter to win Loretta Lynn’s new LP Wouldn’t It Be Great plus the signed lithograph by citing in the comments below your favorite Loretta Lynn record that this new one will find a home next to. We’d like this prize to go to a true fan, so let us know briefly why you’ve chosen the record you’ve named as your favorite.
We’ll choose one winner with a North American mailing address for both the LP and litho one week from today, Thursday, October 4, 2018. Our winner will be notified directly via email.
