Lynn Anderson - No Love At All (2020) Hi-Res

A lost gem of early-'70s countrypolitan, No Love at All epitomizes the genre, yet also stands tall simply as an album of first-rate tunes sung sensitively and maturely by one of the most underrated singers in country music. Lynn Anderson repeatedly performs that rarest of tricks: a vocal performance that is both full of character and passion, yet technically flawless. At times, the sheer operatic force of her voice is nothing short of astounding, but never overshadows the song's basic message. And virtually every song here is excellent. Well-known tunes include the great John D. Loudermilk's "It's My Time" and Conway Twitty's classic "Hello Darlin'." Though musically framed as a jauntily humorous, throwaway foot-stomper, "Husband Hunting" -- written by Anderson's mother Liz -- is lyrically an important song that intelligently examines women's cultural disenfranchisement. Though not as direct as Loretta Lynn's "Fist City" and the like, the song is also much less cartoonish in that it manages to portray the heroine as a complex person who feels a conflicting responsibility to preserve both her marriage and her own sanity. Though Lynn Anderson has never had quite the musical charisma and personality of contemporaries like Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette, No Love at All reminds the listener that she is a formidable talent whose work deserves to be re-examined.