Album Review
Lee Ann Womack
Something Worth Leaving Behind
MCA Records
Jeff:
Darren:
Purchase The Album
Double Take Review
It's time for the return of the double take review. In these special reviews both Darren and Jeff listen to the same new release, write reviews seperately and then they both get posted here. This allows you to see two different people's views on the same record. For this review we'll be looking at Lee Ann Womack's new record "Something Worth Leaving Behind".
Lee Ann Womack records are usually a treat. She manages to blend modern and classic styles into music that is distinct and the sound has managed to strike a chord with music fans all over the place. But with the release of "Something Worth Leaving Behind" Lee Ann's distinct personality and style have been airbrushed out of the music and her image in an attempt to sell more records. It doesn't work all that well and results in a fairly lifeless record.
There are moments when the real Lee Ann Womack steps out from behind her new sound and delievers an impressive song. For example "He'll Be Back" is a great torch ballad that only Womack could get away with singing in the current state of country music and she does it very well. The Bruce Robison penned "Blame It On Me" is also a real winner. This guy writes great songs and Lee Ann really gets her voice wrapped around this one. She also tackles Julie Miller's "Orphan Train" with ease. These kind of songs are the ones that Lee Ann sings better than just about everyone. Womack even handles the title track with ease proving that she is a versatile vocalist.
The problem lies in the fact that the rest of the album is full of run of the mill country tunes. It's not so much the incredible amount of pop influence on the record that's the problem, I'm a fan of all kinds of music so I could care less (although "Surrender" is painful enough to fuel the arguement for dropping that sound). Instead it's the fact that Lee Ann appears to get lost in all the electric guitars and studio glitter. It makes her voice less powerful. "When You Going To Run To Me" shouldn't have made it on the final album. "I Saw Your Light" is overpowered by guitar solos that really add nothing to the Gretchen Peter's penned tune expect a couple of minutes time. This song could have been a good single and an album highlight until it had the life produced right out of it. By the end of Something Worth Leaving Behind you can't say you've heard a bad album, just one that isn't anything particuarly special and that, my friends, is Nashville's current speciality.
It's really sad that record labels can't leave an artist well enough alone. They seem to have to keep pushing the limit and tampering with their sound in the hopes of creating the next Faith Hill. It doesn't work. It results in the real talents of the artist behind hidden away in layers of production that renders all the music sounding the same as every other album out on the shelves. Something Worth Leaving Behind isn't a bad record, it's just nothing that's going to turn heads and in a little bit of time you'll move on to the next flavor of the week.
Album Review by Jeff Krasky
Lee Ann Womack's last album "I Hope You Dance" spawned a massive crossover hit with the song by the same name. It brought her out into the spotlight and gave her a lot more media attention than she previously had gotten. I'm sure a lot of people wondered if she'd be able to duplicate the success of "I Hope You Dance" with her next record, and if she could, just how far would she have to go to find that next big hit.
Well, the answer was literally right over her shoulder. Lee Ann's latest album, and single, are entitled "Something Worth Leaving Behind" and it appears that she has another huge song with crossover potential on her hands. Why just over her shoulder you ask? The song was co-written by her longtime friend and bass player Brett Beavers, and the minute Lee Ann heard the song she knew it was going to be a hit. The song is about how much more important love is in our lives than anything else. The song is a perfect combination of country heartfelt lyrics and pop music sensibilities. There's no question why this record starts with the song and then ends with a remixed version of the track, it's that strong.
The rest of the album has Lee Ann seamlessly moving from genre to genre with ease. She is absolutely perfect with the classic country sound of "He'll Be Back," where her voice soars over a string section making me wish there were a few more honky-tonk songs like this on the album. Lee Ann tackles the R&B sound with the song "When You Gonna Run To Me." And one of the highlights of the album has got to be "You Should've Lied" which somehow infuses a John Lennon sound with a funky guitar and makes it work.
Lee Ann also includes a song written by fellow Texan Bruce Robison, and to me that's always a welcome addition to any record. "Blame It On Me" is a ballad about an impending break up, "You're standin' there, that look in your eye. You're lookin' for good ways to tell me good-bye" just cuts right through to the heart of the matter telling the person that no excuses are needed, just "blame it on me."
There is no doubt that Lee Ann continues to get more and more comfortable in her own skin with each new release. I've never been a big fan of genre labeling, and it's refreshing to hear an artist that can mix country, rock, pop and R&B together so well. I find that ability to be Lee Ann's strongpoint, she isn't a one trick pony by any means. I once heard someone describe most of the country divas around these days as "pop singers singing country songs." If that's true, then Lee Ann Womack is without a doubt a country singer who just happens to sing a pop song now and then, and when she hits on all cylinders like she did with this release it is most definitely "Something Worth Leaving Behind."
Album Review by Darren O'Neill
The WOC Rating Scale |
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The album stands above the rest. This is a record that every country music fan needs to have in their collection. This album is better than the average release. A strong record with some flaws that keep it from reaching that 5 star level. This album is an average country release. Doesn't posses qualities that make it stand out among all the other albums out there. A weak record that lacks solid songs or good vocal performances. Sample before you buy. This record is a bargin-bin reject that just isn't worth the time or the money. Completely misses the mark. |