Wanda Jackson - The Party Ain't Over
Released 24th January, 2011 - Warner Music
With a music career spanning 55 years and more than 30 albums under her belt, Wanda Jackson has earned her title as the Queen of Rockabilly. In her time she's dated Elvis Presley, toured with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly, received two Grammy nominations, and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - a rather impressive CV.
Jackson's rockabilly ways have found a new home in the recent resurgence of the genre, thanks to artists like Kitty, Daisy and Lewis and Imelda May. At the tender age of 73, she's just released The Party Ain't Over. It was produced by none other than Jack White (of The White Stripes, The Raconteurs, and The Dead Weather, for those out of the loop). Jackson's unique rasping voice is as evident as ever, even if somewhat thinned by age.
Frequent use of brass instruments, especially trumpets, is one of the best things about The Party Ain't Over. They're punchy, fun, and give the album something different. Electric guitars are also prominent - perhaps a product of White's influence as a producer. He lends his own skills as a guitarist to most of the tracks.
Jackson's version of the Amy Winehouse track ‘You Know I'm No Good' was surprisingly enjoyable, and probably my favourite. It remains pretty true to the original in style and is an excellent match with her voice. The issue I have is with the subject matter - a 73 year old woman singing about her exploits with men, and her boyfriend who wears a skull t-shirt, is disconcerting to say the least.
Unfortunately, the album's a bit all over the place - changing styles from song to song. Whether that's down to Jackson's song choice or White's production style is hard to tell, but the result is less than ideal. Moving from Little Richard's rock'n'roll classic ‘Rip It Up', to The Andrews Sisters' calypso hit, ‘Rum and Coca-Cola', to Bob Dylan's ‘Thunder on the Mountain', creates an album with no clear direction or sound, which is hard to get fully on board with.
The Party Ain't Over is definitely a bit of fun, and certainly an impressive effort from a woman of Wanda Jackson's age. It's upbeat, quirky and charismatic. Sadly, expectations were not quite met, as opportunities for great covers by a classic artist fell short of the mark. I can't help but think that perhaps it's time to put down the mic.
Tagged as : Wanda Jackson | The Party Ain't Over | Jack White | album review |
