Despite what others may say, “older” (I use this term loosely), more established artists do feel the pressure to both follow-up any major success and to modernize and hip-ify their images. While this doesn’t occur terribly often in country music (a genre that, admittedly, could stand to be more diverse), there’s cases that test what the genre itself basically stands for.

Fresh from the success of her multi-platinum I Hope You Dance record, country soccer mom Lee Ann Womack was faced with a choice. She was pressured to follow up that success, easily the best selling album in her catalogue, but how? Pass the lip gloss, the production buttons and hop on, my friend, for the ride that was Something Worth Leaving Behind. I enjoyed that project but you could tell it wasn’t coming from a purely artistic place, as she later admitted. Nonetheless, this record gained buzz months in advance, resulting in a near top ten debut.

Tracklisting:
There’s More Where That Came From (**** ½)
One’s A Couple (*****)
I May Hate Myself In The Morning (*****)
The Last Time (*****)
He Oughta Know That By Now (*****)
Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago (*****)
Happiness (**** ½)
When You Get To Me (*****)
Painless (*****)
What I Miss About Heaven (**** ½)
Waiting For The Sun To Shine (*****)
Stubborn (*****)

From the first notes of the title track, you can tell that this record is something special. Amidst bittersweet acoustics, deeply cutting fiddle and misty production, a noticeably more direct albeit regretfully pained Womack lets us in on her little secret: she cheated on her husband and its eating at her conscience. The delivery she gives is stunning; she never strays into the overly angry or timid area. She acknowledges it and lets you in on her mind frame, which comes across quite brilliantly. The production, tinted and non-threatening, also helps the set the mood. Classic drinkin’ ballad One’s A Couple goes even more organic and retro, opting for a simple expressive acoustic/distant fiddle combination for most of the track, fading into a semi-lush climax. The star of the show is easily Womack, springing the lyricism to life with her near helpless heroine’s anguish seething in every high note. It’s a timeless theme, once you hear the story unfold, but she wails new life into it.

Lead single and should-have-been-monster I May Hate Myself In The Morning immediately catches your ear, especially when heard against the rest of what country radio has to offer. A magnetic, nearly mesmerizing Womack recounts a one night encounter with a former love, acknowledging that it may be a mistake but she doesn’t care. Her mostly reserved delivery does wonders, twang comfortably in tact, while the weeping fiddle, geniusly emotional steel and well-paced acoustics take you away. The Last Time uses beautiful Celtic influences to its advantage, a well-kept bed of lazy harmonica, buzzing fiddle and steady acoustics. Womack just gets to make sure nothing goes awry, any kind of performance guaranteeing amazing results. She does more than enough, taking you back to that break-up you had that should have never occurred.

Second single He Oughta Know That By Now will be the anthem of all frustrated homemakers everywhere who aren’t banging their gardeners. A tale of a woman with a husband who has no time for her, you feel where she’s coming from, her intentions and passion transcending the intricate mandolin, powerful acoustics and lacey fiddle. When she gets to the ending, you actually feel bad for her, an honest reaction developing. The on-the-verge Womack should definitely come and play more. Another soon-to-be housewife/middle aged woman track of choice is Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago, a track that reminisces about where she came from, where she is and where she’s going, the honesty and endearingness immediately causing you to pay more attention. Over pensive fiddle, chunky electrics and dreamy backing vocals, you feel connected to her, the climax most smile inducing. Her calming albeit conflicted performance rips your heart out, her pessimism almost depressing.

A more full bodied listen is Happiness, a sometimes preachy, sometimes revealing journey of someone’s psyche that comes out right in the end. Womack owns the song, lock, stock and barrel, developing the story of real characters with her wearily trudging performance, her old soul approach to singing coming in handy. Though somewhat troubled, it makes it to the end quite nicely, Womack garnering some sufficient results. When You Get To Me is a personal favorite of mine, that intangible quality great tracks possess quite evident. Amidst the shower of pronounced percussion, road song acoustics and dreamy steel, Lee Ann offers us a cleverly bold, intoxicatingly pure vocal, a smile almost being detected. It comes off much less dark and troubled than previous tracks, not as much of a throwback.

Painless just screams showstopper; its calm-on-the-water production and misty performance certainly guarantee support. While including swirling acoustics, aged steel and a brittle fiddle, its from-the-heart intentions making it a listen that’ll change your mood. Womack streamlines her performance, a wilting breathiness making it that much more extroverted. Taking a more bluegrass approach is the fiery What I Miss About Heaven injecting some energy for those of you ballad haters out there. Womack’s light swagger is purely entertaining, intertwining with the clangy banjo, edgy production and electric fiddle to cause a real sensation. While the lyrics may not be Shakespeare, they do their job, interpreted on a much grander scale.

Waiting For The Sun To Shine is pure slow dance material, somewhat reminiscent of the lead single in terms of sound. Its delicate production highlights a gospel-ish arrangement of tender acoustics, frilly dobro and sensually demure steel, wrapped up all pretty by Womack’s gently heart-wrenching performance. Stubborn makes an amazing finale song, a song about the post argument rift and religion’s affect on a relationship. Womack gets very psychoanalytical, letting us in on the demons and lack of fairness in certain situations. You can’t help butbe enthralled by her grasping performance, her experience most certainly helping her in the long run. Its not nearly as preachy as expected, instead the story of a desperate woman and the surroundings that make her life tough.

Lee Ann Womack solidified herself as one of the most talented women in the country music industry with this overpoweringly powerful disc. When given the right songs and direction, she knocks it out of the park, her intensity and supple vocals making you forget about her lack of writing that should have been there. This record should have been much, much bigger than it was, proof that talent and good songs aren’t the deciding factors for success.

Great Music To Play While: cheating on your husband, ladies…(wink)

Pay Attention To: Stubborn, When You Get To Me, Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago

Last Three Reviews:
Dixie Chicks- Home
Renee Olstead- Renee Olstead
Cyndi Thomson- My World


Recommended: Yes