Pitchfork

Hot on the heels of her universally acclaimed Van Lear Rose LP, subversive country legend Loretta Lynn has announced plans to collaborate with White Stripes axe-grinder Jack White on two more full-length records for Interscope. Speaking last week to The New York Times, Lynn revealed, "I've got two more [albums] in mind, and Jack and I are going to do 'em together. When I'm on the road, I say to my fans: 'How many of you know The White Stripes?' And they applaud. Country people know him."

Lynn is presently on the road, playing modest gigs-- mostly at casinos-- nationwide, but she told the paper that she will also embark on another tour with White and the Van Lear Rose backing band, which she named The Do-Whaters, possibly playing rock venues: "Me and Jack are going to do a tour with the Do-Whaters, the boys that played on the album. I'll take my band out, too, so it won't be no big deal." When she might find time for that tour remains to be seen, however, since her current itinerary has her booked fairly solid through the end of the year. Current dates:

05-14 Johnson City, TN - Freedom Hall
05-15 Norfolk, VA - Chrysler Hall
05-29 Hurricane Mills, TN - Loretta Lynn Ranch
06-04 Lubbock, TX - West Texas Canyon Amphitheater
06-05 San Antonio, TX - Sunset Station
06-11 Kalamazoo, MI - Kalamazoo State Theatre
06-12 Toledo, OH - Stranahan Theatre
06-18 Florence, IN - Belterra Casino & Resort
06-19 Branson, MO - Grand Palace
06-20 Birmingham, AL - City Stages
06-25 Bossier City, LA - Isle of Capri Casino
06-26 Jackson, MS - Jackson Municipal Auditorium
07-03 Hurricane Mills, TN - Loretta Lynn Ranch
07-17 Branson, MO - Grand Palace
07-21 Walker, MN - Northern Lights Casino
07-22 West Bend, WI - Washington County Fair Park
07-30 Gilford, NH - Meadowbrook Farm Musical Arts Center
07-31 Atlantic City, NJ - Adrian Phillips Ballroom
08-07 North Myrtle Beach, SC - Alabama Theatre
08-20 Chautauqua, NY - Chautauqua Institution
08-21 Lancaster, PA - American Music Theatre
08-22 Lancaster, PA - American Music Theatre
08-24 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Wolf Den
08-25 Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Wolf Den
08-27 Cherokee, NC - Harrah's Pavillion
08-28 Cherokee, NC - Harrah's Pavillion
09-17 Robinsonville, MS - Sam's Town
09-18 Kinder, LA - Grand Casino Coushatta
10-02 Hurricane Mills, TN - Loretta Lynn Ranch
10-16 Taylorville, IL - Nashville North
10-17 Taylorville, IL - Nashville North
10-23 Cumming, GA - Lanierland Music Park
11-12 Renfro Valley, KY - Renfro Valley Entertainment Center
11-13 Renfro Valley, KY - Renfro Valley Entertainment Center
12-17 Burgettstown, PA - Pepsi Cola Roadhouse

The Lynn/White collaboration reportedly came about when Lynn's manager discovered that White Blood Cells, The White Stripes' third full-length, had been dedicated to Lynn. Earlier this spring, Lynn invited the Stripes to hang out on her ranch-- a minor tourist attraction that hilariously dubs itself "The Seventh Largest Attraction in Tennessee!"-- where White reportedly proposed the idea. "They came out to the ranch for a visit and I cooked homemade bread and chicken n' dumplings," says Lynn in a letter to fans on her official website. "We did a show together in New York City and soon after, me and Jack got in the studio."

According to the Times' interview, Lynn was surprised by the simple setup with which White had chosen to record the album: "It shocked me when I walked into that house and there was just that little [mixing] board. I thought, 'My God, did Jack see this?'" White immediately replied, "I thought it was perfect... I thought, 'This is like a home.' We didn't need to go to L.A. and spend a million dollars and have some fancy studio. That's what you got to do nowadays to get away from computers and digital technology. To get real soulful sounds, you got to simplify."

There's presently no word on when the two might return to the studio, but for now, that should be of little concern to them-- Van Lear Rose is the year's most critically revered album to date, has sold 37,000 copies in its first week (a substantial increase from the 3,000 her previous album, Still Country, sold in the same timespan), and debuts this week on the Billboard album charts at #24, as well as at #2 on the publication's country charts.