by Eileen Jewell
Still fresh from her much-acclaimed Australian tour, Boston alt-country and Americana singer/songwriter Eilen Jewell pays tribute to groundbreaking country icon Loretta Lynn with the new album by Butcher Holler – “Eilen Jewell Presents A Tribute to Loretta Lynn”. Including the classic hit ‘Fist City’ which Eilen previewed at her shows here, the album features Eilen and her knockout 3-piece band working under the different name (Butcher Holler is the name of Loretta’s birthplace in Kentucky) to differentiate the album from Eilen’s original albums. It acknowledges a debt to a woman Jewell describes as "our national treasure".
"We pay homage to her humble roots and straightforward, hard-hitting performance style," say Jewell. "All of the songs in this collection were written by Lynn herself and are a testament not only to her strength as a songwriter but to her personal strength as well. In the 60's and 70's, Loretta Lynn dared to write songs about topics that were widely considered off-limits, especially for women. The fact that her words still hit a nerve today is proof of their timelessness."
Butcher Holler's twelve sharply delivered performances - nearly all under three minutes each - feature a handful of Lynn classic hits such as "Ain't Woman Enough (to Take My Man)" and "Don't Come Home Drinkin' (with Lovin' On Your Mind)", songs that helped define Lynn as a pioneer in music that praised strong-willed, confident women. Jewell also digs up lesser known tracks from the extensive Lynn songbook, presenting them with her own expressive vocals and backed by her fine long running band. The production is crisp and spare, with up-right bass, pedal steel and electric tremelo twang adding both timeless authenticity and surprisingly rootsy contemporary edge.
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