Roots, Toots n' Hoots Blog

Lynn, Underwood: absolutely incredible

Jeffrey Remz  |  December 18, 2015

Loretta Lynn is being honored as Billboard's Women in Music Legend. For such a long, fruitful, influential career, it's great that she's being honored.

And she's not slowing down either as she's releasing a brand new album, "Full Circle," in March on Sony Legacy.

What caught my eye was an article in Billboard on Thursday about Carrie Underwood on Lynn.

The story quoted a November interview with Underwood, who said, ""Loretta Lynn is absolutely incredible. It's women like her who paved the way for women like me."

As proof, I checked out a video of Underwood singing "You're Looking at Country." Underwood does a killer version of the song, really doing it a tremendous amount of justice.

It's great that contemporaries like Underwood are so keen on those who brought them to the dance, especially Lynn. I've always thought Underwood could easily be a dyed-in-the-wool traditional country singer if she wanted to, although, unfortunately, she has rarely done so. Miranda Lambert has gone traditional at times on her own and with her great side project Pistol Annies.

Maybe the times they are a changing with women in country. To wit, Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, Brandy Clark. Pistol Annies may have something cooking as well. Here's hoping.

And wouldn't it be great when Underwood goes on tour in '16 if she tones down the rock and spreads the gospel of Loretta Lynn. That would be absolutely incredible too.