Wanda Jackson at Third Man Live feat. Jack White and the Third Man Band
Description
2007–2021: Collaborations and Retirement
Jackson continued a busy touring schedule in the late 2000’s. This included several performances in London, England[136] and a popular gig in Santa Barbara, California.[137] She also collaborated with Jerry Lee Lewis and Linda Gail Lewis for performances at the London Forum during this time.[138] Following her 2009 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,[139] Jackson was approached by rock musician Jack White to record her next album.[140] The pair exchanged song ideas virtually and met for the first time in 2010 to record the album.[141] Jackson did not think she would “see eye to eye” with White, who was used to recording “contemporary rock-style music”.[140] She eventually became more trusting after getting to know him better. “It was clear that Jack was for me in every way, and I felt honored by the respect he showed me,” Jackson recalled in her autobiography.[142] White had Jackson record several songs he selected, including Little Richard‘s “Rip It Up” and Amy Winehouse‘s “You Know I’m No Good“. White also contacted Bob Dylan, who requested she record his original “Thunder on the Mountain“. Jackson agreed and cut the tracks, along with several others for the project.[143]
In January 2011, her forty-second album was released, titled The Party Ain’t Over. The rock collection was released on Jack White’s record label named Third Man Records.[144] It became Jackson’s first album to chart the Billboard 200 all-genre list, peaking at number 58.[145] It also became her first disc to make the Billboard Top Rock Albums chart, where it climbed to number 17.[146] The record received a three-star rating from Allmusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine who argued that White’s influence overshadowed Jackson’s musical image. Erlewine did praise Jackson’s vocals and found several tracks that felt like “they belong to her”.[147] Rolling Stone‘s Jon Dolan gave the album three and half stars and called the track listing “superb”. “Jackson’s not content to just remake the greats: Her slaying of Amy Winehouse’s ‘You Know I’m No Good’ is a master class for her wild-child inheritors”, Dolan concluded.[148] In her autobiography Jackson recalled making several television appearances to promote the disc. This included performances on the Late Show with David Letterman and Conan. She also recalled taking the stage for the first time in decades at the Grand Ole Opry.[149]
Jackson did not think she could record an album better than her 2011 release. She was encouraged to return to the studio and collaborate with singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle.[150] In her autobiography, Jackson reflected that her voice was “not in top form” during the album’s recording. She blamed a long concert schedule for her vocal quality.[151] In October 2012, Sugar Hill Records released the project titled Unfinished Business. It included liner notes written by Stephen King.[152] The CD peaked at number 61 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 2012,[153] becoming her first disc in 39 years to reach a peak position there.[154] Mark Deming of AllMusic gave the project a positive response in his review: “Unfinished Business shows that six decades after her first recordings, that strategy still works, and she can still deliver the goods without a lot of needless fuss.”[155] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune found the album was better-suited to Jackson’s musical roots compared to previous release, praising her vocal quality and Earle’s production.[156]
In 2017, Jackson’s autobiography titled Every Night is Saturday Night: A Country Girl’s Journey to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was published.[157] Co-written by Jackson and Scott Bomar, it was published by BMG Music and featured a foreword by Elvis Costello. According to an interview, Jackson had attempted an autobiography but found the writing “didn’t come out well”. Working with Bomar made Jackson feel more comfortable with writing a book.[158] The launch was honored by a party, signing and performance at the Grammy Museum.
Jackson played a handful of 2018 shows before announcing her retirement in March 2019.[159][160] She told Rolling Stone that a previously undisclosed stroke was partially to blame, along with additional “health and safety concerns”.[159] In August 2021, Big Machine Records and Blackheart Records issued her next studio record titled Encore. The disc was produced by Joan Jett. Jett is featured performing on the record, along with Elle King and Angaleena Presley.[161] Jackson announced that the project would be her last album.[162] Encore featured songs co-written by Nashville songwriters like Will Hoge and Lori McKenna.[163] It received a positive review from Mark Deming of AllMusic who gave it 3.5 stars: “Clocking in at a very 1950s 25 minutes, Encore doesn’t feel like a major event and it doesn’t add a great deal to the Wanda Jackson story, but it’s a welcome reminder that the first truly great female rocker is still among us and hasn’t surrendered to time,” he concluded.[164] American Songwriter commented that Jackson “sets the standard, and even in her seventh decade of making music, that confidence and control remain readily apparent.”[165]
