WALL STREET JOURNAL: Encouraged by one-time tourmate Elvis Presley to sing the tougher strain of rhythmic country music known as rockabilly, Wanda Jackson was peerless in her field from the start. Bob Dylan deemed her “an atomic bomb in lipstick.” Now, despite being nearly six decades removed from her raucous and feisty first sides (as well as a long detour into gospel music), Ms. Jackson remains the Queen. In 2003, she cut a comeback album with longtime devotees like Elvis Costello and the Cramps, and toured the revival circuit with other early rock ‘n’ rollers. But it’s her forthcoming album, “The Party Ain’t Over,” recorded in Nashville with another big fan, Jack White, that promises new thrills from this septuagenarian. Whether she’s tackling Dylan for a rollicking first single (“Thunder on the Mountain”) or taking on “Rum and Coca-Cola” and Amy Winehouse, Ms. Jackson still sounds regal and evergreen. MORE
SPIN: The 73-year-old rockabilly trailblazer teams with Jack White, who weirds out in a way he seemed too bashful to do on Van Lear Rose, his 2004 collabo with Loretta Lynn. For “Shakin’ All Over,” White runs Jackson’s goblin-queen croak through the analog fetishist’s version of Auto-Tune, while “Rum and Coca Cola” rides the most lopsided punk-calypso groove since Kid Creole and the Coconuts. A faithful cover of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” is obvious NPR bait, but even that’s legitimately creepy. MORE