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Jack White of the White Stripes (and the Raconteurs and Dead Weather) produced this showcase for rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson, a 73-year-old singer who once dated Elvis Presley. Jackson—best known for the rockabilly hits “Fujiyama Mama” (1958) and “Let’ Have a Party” (1960), has had an active and varied career as a rock, country, and gospel singer, and influenced many later roots-music acts. This high-profile recording from White, who produced a similar 2004 comeback for Loretta Lynn, is the follow-up to Jackson’s 2006 studio album I Remember Elvis. It features White on guitar and a band culled from the Raconteurs, Dead Weather, and My Morning Jacket, along with White’s wife, singer and model Karen Elson. The music is mostly vintage 50s rock: covers of Little Richard’s “Rip It Up,” Eddie Cochran’s “Nervous Breakdown,” and Elvis’ “Like a Baby,” updated with renditions of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” and Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain.” Throughout, Jackson shows off her tough attitude and snarling, gritty chops, though sometimes she’s strapped by mediocre material, like the Andrew Sisters’ tepid “Rum and Coca Cola,” resulting in a program that doesn’t quite hold together convincingly.
By Greg Cahill
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