The Party Ain't Over

Album listened to - 2011 (31 items)
list by catcarlo

Wanda Jackson sounds ready and up for anything that Jack White can throw at her, and it's through no fault of her own that Party doesn't quite work. White seems more interested in creating an over-stylized faux-50's rockabilly sound than crafting something viable for Jackson to perform with. There are moments when he hits it right on the money, but he doesn't manage to marry his production ideas t... read more

Description: "It's an exciting time to be Wanda Jackson," Austin's American-Statesman declared in October on the eve of Jackson's 73rd birthday bash at the Continental Club there. The undisputed Queen of Rockabilly - a touring powerhouse for more than 50 years - is releasing her debut disc for Third Man/Nonesuch Records, the aptly titled The Party Ain't Over. This collection of vintage and contemporary covers was produced by fan and new-found friend Jack White at his Nashville studio and recorded with a late-night honky-tonk feel by members of My Morning Jacket, the Raconteurs, and Dead Weather, among others. The White-curated li "It's an exciting time to be Wanda Jackson," Austin's American-Statesman declared in October on the eve of Jackson's 73rd birthday bash at the Continental Club there. The undisputed Queen of Rockabilly - a touring powerhouse for more than 50 years - is releasing her debut disc for Third Man/Nonesuch Records, the aptly titled The Party Ain't Over.

This collection of vintage and contemporary covers was produced by fan and new-found friend Jack White at his Nashville studio and recorded with a late-night honky-tonk feel by members of My Morning Jacket, the Raconteurs, and Dead Weather, among others. The White-curated lineup of tunes, says Jackson, showcases "all the various types of music that I've done through the years-some country, some gospel, some rockabilly, some rock n' roll. It's got all of that, and we threw in a Bob Dylan song 'Thunder On the Mountain,' just to be safe."

The spirited Jackson, revered for such classic singles as "Let's Have a Party" and "Fujiyama Mama," proves that brash rock and roll attitude need not have an age limit. Her trademark growl remains intact on rockers like "Rip It Up" and "Nervous Breakdown"; she opens the set with an echo-laden sneer on a rollicking version of "Shakin' All Over" and ends it 10 songs later with a plaintive take on Jimmie Rodgers' "Yodel #6." Along the way she tackles the Andrew Sisters kitschy "Rum and Coca Cola" and a big-band rendition of the DeCastro Sisters' "Teach Me Tonight," and she out-sasses-and out-classes-Amy Winehouse on a cover of the British bad girl's "You Know I'm No Good," which has already been released as a single. ... (more) (less)