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"Call Me Crazy" album reviews; Out Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
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Topic Started: Oct 7 2008, 12:53 PM (2,953 Views)
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 7 2008, 12:53 PM
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Here's the new thread for Call Me Crazy reviews. I know I kinda post them in different threads but I figured one thread was easier for organization's sake .
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 7 2008, 12:54 PM
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This is one I found on Walmart.com:
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When Lee Ann Womack released her self-titled debut album in 1997, the singer/songwriter was immediately embraced by country music fans. Womack, a traditional singer who's vocal style recalled the likes of Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette, won praise from critics and fellow artists, most notably Alan Jackson. After selling more than three million copies of her 2000 album I Hope You Dance, a more pop oriented disc, Womack's career took a nosedive. 2002's Something Worth Leaving Behind was a disappointing record that failed to sell. 2005's There's More Where That Came From found Womack making a brilliant return to traditional form; the glossy pop sounds of the singer's two previous studio releases were replaced with the hard country edge that had permeated her first two albums. On Call Me Crazy, Womack sticks to the formula that had critics praising her last disc. The 12-track collection is a traditionally rooted chef-d'ouevre that contains some of the best vocal performances of the singer's career. From the first single, the whiskey and tear soaked "Last Call," a fiddle and mandolin embroidered number, through to the steel accented "The Story Of My Life," an uplifting composition with silky lead and harmony vocals, Womack hits the sweet spot on every track. Womack had a hand in co-writing four of the songs on Call Me Crazy, including the old-school shuffle "Everything But Quits," a string sheathed duet with George Strait. Womack and Strait make a great vocal team. Longtime country music fans will think they've died and gone to hillbilly heaven when they hear the duo sing together. Womack and Strait get as close to a Tammy Wynette/George Jones moment as anyone this side of paradise ever will. When it comes to hardcore country, no female singer today can twist a song inside out the way Womack does. Like some of the great artists of country music's past -- legends like Hank Williams and Patsy Cline -- Womack was born with a tear in her voice. The blue-to-the-bone "Solitary Thinkin'" and the aching "If These Walls Could Talk" sound like they belong on a Williams or Cline box set. Few singers could pull the songs off with such heartfelt emotion. Sad songs are Womack's forte, but the singer can hit a happy note every now and again. "I Found It In You" finds Womack forgoing the usual vices, hobbies, and habits that get most people through the day. Instead the Grammy Award winner finds all she needs in the arms of her husband. With the year quickly drawing to a close, Call Me Crazy should give Womack a serious shot at the top spot on many best of 2008 lists. By Todd Sterling - http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10575761
- Ahh, I'm so excited! Especially to hear the new Strait/Womack duet, especially with the description they gave it
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 7 2008, 01:02 PM
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I wouldn't necessarily call this an album review, but it talks about the new album, and I'm tired of starting new threads lol. It has been posted before somewhere on the boards.
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Posted by Hip Online on October 5th, 2008
When Lee Ann Womack was a little girl in Texas, helping her mother clean house on Saturday as they listened to country music on the radio, she already knew what she wanted to do with her life. And not being able to do it right then broke her heart. “I was so sad to have to be so far away from the music business, when I wanted to be right in the middle of it- even when I was a little kid,” she recalls. “That played into the way I sang, the kind of music I listened to, the voices I loved and was drawn to-like Tammy Wynette or George Jones.”
Lee Ann’s youthful sadness is gone now, yet the lessons she learned from Tammy, George and other country-to-the-bone icons who captivated her as a child come through loud and clear on Call Me Crazy, her seventh and most impressive outing to date in a career full of great music. Simply put, the collection of songs, the exquisite production and the sheer artistry of Lee Ann’s straight-from-the-heart vocals—whether powerful, vulnerable, achingly sad or joyful—combine to make this one stunning album.
But it shouldn’t be surprising that Crazy is Lee Ann’s best work ever. She co-wrote “New Again,” ”Have You Seen That Girl,” “If These Walls Could Talk” and “Everything But Quits,” four songs that, according to the project’s legendary producer, Tony Brown, “set the standard” for the lyric writing on the remainder of the 12-song CD. Tony, George Strait’s long-time producer, brought in most of the musicians who’ve played on George’s records through the years, adding yet another layer of comfort—and excellence—to the studio environment. And it shows.
From the opening strains of “Last Call,” Crazy’s debut single, it’s apparent this is music lovingly created by an artist who is reveling in what she was born to do. The song about an alcohol-induced bar stool phone call that may end up being not only the last call but the last straw is quintessential Lee Ann. It’s a reminder of all the great performances that came before—“I May Hate Myself In The Morning,” “The Fool” and “I Hope You Dance” to name a few—and an enticing promise of what’s to come. It says simply, “This is Lee Ann Womack. This is country music.”
Built on a role reversal of sorts, “Solitary Thinkin’” also features an unanswered phone call from a bar after last call. But this one is from a woman trying to get through her problems—and her blues—with the aid of a double barrel whiskey. “Being such a fan of real country music, I do love the imagery of a smoky bar,” admits Lee Ann. “Now I’m not gonna go sit in a bar by myself, but there have been times, after everybody’s gone to bed, I’ll just sit here at the bar in the kitchen, have a cocktail and listen to my George Jones stuff, and I love it.”
And the Possum would be proud of the way Lee Ann digs down deep to tap into the resignation-filled “Either Way”—Baby you can go or you can stay/I won’t love you either way—a song that finds a couple still putting on the public façade of happiness while sleeping in separate rooms and only communicating when it’s time to pay the bills. No feeling, just numbness. Pure country.
And in the mesmerizing drone of “The Bees” (yes, biology fans, drones are male bees), Lee Ann strikes the perfect balance between the often sad lyrical content—Sometimes it’s a bitter taste/ For a motherless child so out of place—and the gorgeous imagery in the song. Aided by the heavenly harmonies of Lee Ann’s buddy, Keith Urban—“he came in and just nailed his performance”—the song is an absolute highlight of Crazy, even though its uniqueness might have scared another artist away. But not Lee Ann.
“It is very, very important for me to take chances on different songs that really appeal to me,” she declares. “I have to do that. Otherwise, I might as well go sell real estate or do something totally, totally different.”
While Lee Ann loves sinking her teeth, and her heart, into sad country songs, she has a harder time finding positive songs she likes. But there are some gems on Crazy.
Lee Ann admits being drawn to the joyful “I Found It In You” because of its simplicity and because it resonated with where she was in her own life at the time. “It’s not profound or anything’” she says, “but the idea that some people find inspiration in a bottle, some people find it workin’ for the man, but I found it in you is just so simple. I loved it.”
And when she had the idea for “New Again,” it was inspired by her good friend George Strait and how he’s always been able to sing classic Bob Wills or Ray Price songs and make them new again. But it didn’t end there for Lee Ann, who admits being fascinated by people who, like her mom recovering old pillows, can make something old new again. “And, of course, part of the song is about Frank [Lidell, her husband] and about me,” she reveals. “I was divorced with a kid. The whole thing was just new again, when we got together and married and had our own child. I’d been feeling cast aside, like damaged goods, and he came along and made everything new again.”
Even on first listen, Lee Ann’s duet with Strait on “Everything But Quits” feels like a song you’ve known and sung along with for years. But that’s what you get when you put two great vocalists with a lyric like: We’ve said some things that hurt/But love’s always had the last word/We’ve called it everything but quits. There’s no competition, no ego, just consummate artists who respect each other to the core, singing a great country song. It doesn’t get better.
And in the aching sadness of “Have You Seen That Girl,” Lee Ann opened her heart to write about the times she’s lost her way and had to rely on those around her to notice it first and help her get back on the right path until she could reconnect with the girl that everybody says I used to be. It’s a beautifully vulnerable vocal performance on a record full of them.
While she didn’t write it, “The Story Of My Life” is a very special song to Lee Ann. She’d had it for quite a while, but never felt her life experience was right to sing it—until now. But it’s worth the wait. With the inspirational power of “I Hope You Dance,” the uplifting song is made even stronger through the family connection of background vocal performances by Lee Ann’s ex-husband, Jason Sellers, and their 17-year-old daughter, Aubrie. Simply beautiful.
Through all the emotional explorations of the human condition on Crazy—from lonely bars and joyful hearts right down to the playful cover photo that was never intended to be the cover—the common thread is Lee Ann’s commitment to give everything she has as an artist and a passionate lover of real country music.
She is justifiably proud of Crazy. And she’s not alone.
“Out of all the records I’ve done—and I’ve done A LOT,” says Brown, “this is gonna be one of my proudest moments.”
Who are we to argue with Tony Brown?
-http://www.hiponline.com/music-artists/lee-ann-womack-biography
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 11 2008, 08:22 PM
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A new one:
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Lee Ann Womack's Country-Siren SchizophreniaBy Werner TrieschmannWednesday, October 8th 2008 Of all the divas Nashville has coughed up recently, Lee Ann Womack has to be the saddest—which easily makes her the most fascinating, particularly since her biggest hit was the ultra-uplift, seize-the-day, let’s-all-cry-and-twirl-on-the-beach anthem “I Hope You Dance.” So in 2005, when she snuck off to a dirty motel room for a liaison with trad country in There’s More Where That Came From, it seemed like a genius move. However, Call Me Crazy arrives and hedges the bet: Downy pop blooms next to pedal-steel-driven barroom weepers. The title is apt—this one’s got a pronounced multiple-personality disorder. Consequently, the shivers of recognition when Womack sings “I bet you’re in a bar” in the glorious ache of “Last Call” give way to amnesia as you try to recall many of the songs after it. Furthermore, so many bromides float to the top of “I Found It in You” that it would make Hallmark gag. But as much as that song could be a PowerPoint presentation in Music Row Pandering 101, “The Bees” is weird by the standards of any genre, much less the tight-ass message-control freaks that run country music. An industrial hum and deep bass-drum slaps frame a song about child abuse and the redemptive power of being a drone . . . OK, that’s just a guess. Whatever it is, it’s plenty cool. Womack tries to do her best Dolly Parton impression on the flat “King of Broken Hearts,” then retreats to uplift with the string-filled closer “Story of My Life.” Even so, there’s a palpable melancholy in Womack’s delivery, a resignation that makes you believe—all right, hope—that there’s a little more where that came from, and a little less of everything else.
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 16 2008, 05:50 PM
Post #5
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Lee Ann Womack returns after 3-year hiatusWednesday, October 15, 2008 By JOHN GEROME, AP Entertainment WriterNASHVILLE, Tenn. — Lee Ann Womack's 2005 disc, There's More Where That Came From, was arguably the best album of her career. It won her three Country Music Association awards, including album and single of the year, and was praised by critics for its deft take on classic country.But when Womack began recording the follow-up in 2006, something didn't feel right. "I wasn't sure if my heart and my mind and everything were all in the right place. I changed my mind a lot and was overthinking things. We put a single out and it wasn't performing that well, and I was frustrated and tired." She wound up scrapping the project last year and taking time off to regroup. Now, the 42-year-old singer is releasing the album she says she wanted to make all along, Call Me Crazy. "The time I spent writing, looking for songs and meeting with Tony (producer Tony Brown) felt so effortless and natural," said Womack, who arrived for a recent interview in a black Mercedes and cradling two Yorkshire terriers. This isn't the first time she's taken a break between records. There was also a three-year gap between her 2002 release, Something Worth Leaving Behind, and There's More Where That Came From. She said she needs the time at home with her daughters, aged 17 and 9, and her husband, producer Frank Liddell, to recharge. During her hiatus, she learned some Spanish _ "poquito" she says holding her thumb and index finger a smidgen apart _ worked on her guitar playing ("I get jealous sometimes when I see someone like Vince (Gill) play really well") and spent a lot of time writing songs. "I had a sense that the work she did last year was not particularly inspired," said Luke Lewis, chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville, which includes Womack's MCA label. "She sat back and waited and did it again. I've got so much trust in her and her instincts. She knows when she's ready and when she's not." Musically, Womack mixes traditional and pop styles on her records. But her last album, There's More Where That Came From, was a nostalgic nod to '60s and '70s country, down to the retro cover art and the vinyl pressing. While critics loved it, radio was lukewarm. Only one single, "I May Hate Myself in the Morning," made the top 10. That's a switch from the late '90s when she regularly cracked the top 5 with hits such as "The Fool" and "A Little Past Little Rock," and a far cry from 2000 when her crossover smash "I Hope You Dance" propelled her to multiplatinum stardom. Lewis said more hits would have been welcome, but the album still went gold and won industry honors. "We can make money off selling half a million records. There's not that many people doing it," he said. "Let it have accolades and sell 500,000 and be recognized as a great and enduring album and I'm a very happy guy." Shooter Jennings, son of Waylon Jennings and an outspoken country rocker who's toured and recorded with Womack, said the thing that sets her apart from her contemporaries in mainstream country is the integrity to buck commercial trends. "There's a certain responsibility that she feels for country music, and that's why she will get so mad at something that's false," Jennings said. With the new disc, Womack strikes more of a balance than on her last one. While some songs conjure smoky saloons with George Jones on the jukebox, others like "New Again" and "I Found It In You" have a bright, radio-ready sound. She co-wrote four of the 12 tracks and called in pals George Strait and Keith Urban to sing with her. The first single, "Last Call," is a melancholy tune about a woman who doesn't answer the phone call she knows is coming, yet again, from a bar at closing time. Womack said she sings what seems natural to her, and more often than not, it's sad country songs. "I could have gone into any field of music that I wanted to, but when all is said and done, nothing does it for me like country, real country music. I like to listen to it, I like to play it, it makes me feel good. I don't just hear country music, I feel it."
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 16 2008, 05:55 PM
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Review: Womack’s ‘Call Me Crazy’ Due Out this MonthBy R. Keith Rugg, 10-13-08Later this month, Lee Ann Womack’s latest album— Call Me Crazy— hits the stores. It’s her seventh studio album, and her first since 2005’s There’s More Where That Came From
. This is an exceptional album. That in itself shouldn’t be a big surprise; Womack has a pair of Grammy awards to her credit, as well as several other accolades, and is well-respected in the industry as a performer of good, solid country music. But even so, this album stands out as a really great collection of Womack at her best. The first track on the disc— "Last Call"— is also the first single to be released for airplay, back in the summer. And it is just killer. It’s the closest thing that this album has to a title track, with “Call me crazy,” being a line from the song. It’s beautiful, it’s haunting, it’s… great. I don’t know why, but my local country stations didn’t give this song the time of day. I’ve heard it only once on the air, and that was in the middle of the night. And hearing it on the radio didn’t begin to do justice to this song. It’s worth buying the album if only to be able to hear "Last Call" on a decent sound system. "Solitary Thinkin’" looks to be the next single that will come off this album. It’s a good, rock-solid drinkin’-in-a-bar country song, and it’s kind of funny, because in a way, it’s the other side of the coin to "Last Call". Four other songs I want to make a special note of before we jump into the track-by-track grading of Call Me Crazy: "The Bees": An acquaintance of mine in at MCA/Mercury says she really likes this song. On the other hand, I find it very disturbing. It’s not a bad song, I just don’t care for the imagery I get when I listen to it. (If anyone else out there finds a mental connection between it and Stephen King’s Misery, shoot me an e-mail. I’d like to think that it’s not just me.) Keith Urban is on some vocals for this one. And Womack says about it, “The Bees is a great song that’s not a conventional ‘hit,’ which is why I think if it were a hit, it would be huge.” She might be right, and I’ll be very interested to see how it does if it’s released as a single. "I Think I Know": The first time I heard the first line of this song, I literally jerked my head up and turned to give the song my full attention. I’m not going to say more, because I think it would ruin the effect. Producer Tony Brown said she’d earned the right to do this one, and he’s probably correct. "Everything But Quits": Womack actually co-wrote this song, and it’s performed as a duet with George Strait. Aside from the fact that "Everything But Quits" doesn’t have anything in it about “Mama, or trains, or trucks, or prison, or gettin’ drunk,” (and please, please tell me you recognize this reference) it comes very close to being the perfect country and Western song. Part of this comes from the performers- wow, do these two sound good together. The other part comes from the pure honesty of the lyrics, lyrics that ring so, so true to life. You heard it here first- I’m predicting "Everything But Quits" as the CMA Musical Event of 2009 award-winner. (If the industry has any integrity at all, anyway, and that might be the sticking point…) "The Story of My Life": If lightning strikes twice, and Womack has another crossover hit that comes anywhere near to the phenomenal success of "I Hope You Dance", this one will probably be it. And she knows it, too. She says, “This song was played for me when we were getting ready to make the follow up to "I Hope You Dance". I didn’t want to be accused of trying to repeat that, so as much as I loved the song, I let it go. I’ve kept the demo around all this time, hoping I’d get another chance to cut it after enough time had passed.” And now, to the grades. 1. Last Call: He’s alone and in a bar. Grade- 99. 2. Either Way: A marriage where the love is gone. Grade- 95. 3. Solitary Thinkin’: She’s alone and in a bar. Grade- 90. 4. New Again: Second chances in life and love. Grade- 80. 5. I Found It In You: I love you and my world revolves around you. Grade- 88. 6. Have You Seen That Girl: My dreams and potential are slipping away. Grade- 92. 7. The Bees: Finally finding peace in a troubled life. Grade- I’m abstaining on this one, you’ll have to take a listen for yourself… 8. I Think I Know: Success isn’t everything. Grade- 92. 9. If These Walls Could Talk: Trouble in the home and family life. Grade- 80. 10. Everything But Quits: We’re not perfect, but we’re still together and in love. Grade- 99. 11. The King of Broken Hearts: Big talker in a bar and his tales of woe. Grade- 80. 12. The Story of My Life: Aspiring to make life better. Grade- 90. Total: 985. Average: 89.5. We’ll round it to an nice even grade of 90. I had the chance to see Lee Ann Womack in concert this past summer, when she opened for Alan Jackson. (And a few years before that, when she opened for Toby Keith. He said she added class to the tour.) I still think Alan Jackson is one of the greatest things going, don’t get me wrong. But based on what I’m hearing on Jackson’s Good Time and then on Womack’s Call Me Crazy, maybe next time, he ought to be opening for her.
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 20 2008, 07:55 PM
Post #7
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Tuesday October 21, 2008 Lee Ann Womack knows how to put torch in her tunesBy MARIO TARRADELLToday's country music industry banks on youth-targeted, up-tempo, positive radio fodder that would've been called pop three decades ago. But Lee Ann Womack remains an adult voice of a seemingly bygone art form. She continues to craft gorgeous traditional country records such as Call Me Crazy, which arrives in stores this week. All it takes is one listen. She's the estranged lover of a honky-tonk Don Juan in "Last Call". In her peerless soprano, a voice that channels pain and resilience, strength and vulnerability, she sings: "They're probably closing down/Saying no more alcohol/I bet you're in a bar/'Cause I'm always your last call." On "Either Way", Womack emotes about a marriage so far gone they "fake the perfect life." And in the superb "Solitary Thinkin'", she's contemplating a failed relationship with a "double-barrel whiskey" and too much time on her hands. This 42-year-old petite blonde from Jacksonville, Texas, has emerged as the Tammy Wynette of our generation. And she understands the comparison to the late singer and her heartbreaking voice. "There was a wound in it; there was an ache," says Womack while sitting in the lobby of the Fort Worth Stockyards Hotel. She was recently in town for a benefit performance at Billy Bob's Texas. "She's like me - if she sang something funny or up-tempo, it was still hurting. I can sing the most positive song in the world, and it still sounds kind of sad. I know it does. I think she probably felt that way, too. Life is not up-tempo and happy all the time. Some people might say it is for them, I don't know. But it's a struggle for me. A lot of things are." She pauses momentarily, as if trying to put herself in the spirit of Wynette. "I'm guessing she felt the same way. I can't speak for her. But I can definitely say that I connected with that feeling that came out of her voice. I just felt like when I heard her, even back in the day when I didn't know who she was, but when I heard it I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I know her. There's somebody that gets the same thing that I do.' I connected with her for that reason." Womack, who sold three million copies of 2000's I Hope You Dance, thanks to the sweet, country-pop title track, returned to her traditional country roots with 2005's stunning There's More Where That Came From, a critically acclaimed Country Music Association Award winner for album of the year. That disc sold about 500,000 copies, more on positive word of mouth than mainstream radio acceptance. "I think she's the best voice in country music to begin with," says Luke Lewis, chairman of Universal Music Group Nashville, her record label. "The fact that she is so deeply rooted in the genre and so almost militant about it ... I love her for it. I don't know anybody that can emote as she does. She has an incredible ear for a great song." But for the twice-married mother of two, staying true to her creative convictions is still a scratch-and-crawl climb. Ever since her 1997 debut single, the startling, traditional "Never Again, Again", Womack has been fighting the proverbial battle between art and commerce. "Yeah, it's unbelievable," she says. "It started out hard when I put out "Never Again, Again" and it hasn't gotten any easier. But I only enjoy my job when I do it the very best I can. That's important to me. I need to be a satisfied, happy person. And that's making these kind of records." Country music, she believes, shouldn't be a pop crossover game. That demeans it. Call Me Crazy, however, honours it. "It's real. It has a history. It's not about chasing something. Country music has its own kind of beauty. It's soulful, very soulful music. Country music is for real people who work hard and play hard. It's beautiful stuff. It's like the blues. That's real music." - Copyright (C) 2008 MCT Information Services
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 20 2008, 07:59 PM
Post #8
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Here's a short review from USA Today:
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Lee Ann Womack, Call Me Crazy: * * * 1/2 -- ... Like a foxWhether she’s the weary recipient of a remorseful ex’s late-night phone calls or one-half of a loveless marriage, few people sing about emotionless relationships with as much passion as Lee Ann Womack. She gets the best zingers in country music, too: Summing up a household being ripped apart by anger, arguments and marital tension, she sings, “If these walls could talk, they’d pray.” Womack rarely pushes the tempo of her sweet countrypolitan and dusty Southern soul, but the emotional dynamic is always intense. — Brian Mansfield >>Download: Last Call, Either Way, If These Walls Could Talk, Everything but Quits with George Strait >>Skip: The Bees - http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2008/10/this-weeks-re-2.html
and from Billboard:
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Call Me Crazy LEE ANN WOMACK Release Date: Oct. 21 Producer(s): Tony Brown Label: MCA NashvilleJust when you thought she couldn't get any better, Lee Ann Womack surprises in a big way. Call Me Crazy, the follow-up to her highly lauded There's More Where That Came From, is Womack's best album yet. While the set includes a pure country duet with hero George Strait and a cover of his "The King of Broken Hearts," Womack doesn't need Strait's formidable shoulders to lift her up. Haunting single "Last Call" is song-of-the-year material on a number of levels: songwriting, vocal performance and production. Indeed, the first-time combination of Womack and producer Tony Brown is overdue and magical. "Either Way," about a loveless marriage, is brilliant, and "Solitary Thinkin' " proves Womack has more soul than just about any other country female vocalist out there. All hail the queen of country. —Ken Tucker - http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/content_display/reviews/albums/e3i3d6467ccde294720efa027627d3cdf3d
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 20 2008, 08:06 PM
Post #9
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And a review from Country Universe:
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October 19, 2008Album Review: Lee Ann Womack, Call Me CrazyPosted by Kevin J. Coyne Lee Ann Womack Call Me Crazy *** 1/2Few modern-day artists make country music hurt as good as Lee Ann Womack. A master of the sorrowful song, she has assembled an almost painfully sad collection in Call Me Crazy, the long-awaited follow-up to her award-winning There’s More Where That Came From. Never before has she so deeply explored the darker shades of love and life with such a sense of misery and resignation. Indeed, some of the album’s best moments are also its most desperate. Lead single and opening track “Last Call” finds her ruminating that the only love she gets is when there’s whiskey on his breath, while “Have You Seen That Girl” has her mourning the bright-eyed and optimistic girl she used to be, and wondering, “Where along the way did I lose me?” Womack is a co-writer on the latter track, and it’s worth noting that she had a hand in writing three of the strongest tracks on the album. Another one of her contributions is “If These Walls Could Talk”, which is a harrowing portrait of domestic intranquility. Things are so bad in this home that the only one praying for the family is the five-year old daughter, “two little hands folded tight by her bedside, asking ‘Jesus will my family be okay’?” Nearly as bad off is the married couple in “Either Way”, possibly the album’s strongest track. As she surveys the loveless wasteland that their marriage has become, she notes that they only talk “when the monthly bills are due” and that “we go to work, we go to church, we fake the perfect life.” Worn down and emotionless, she reaches a firm conclusion: “You can go or you can stay. I won’t love you either way.” The third track that Womack co-wrote is one of the few positive moments of the album, “New Again.” It’s something of a spiritual successor to Dolly Parton’s “The Bargain Store”, as she thanks God for those who can see the beauty in damaged goods and make the old new again. It’s one of the few rays of light in an album of shadows and clouds, letting a little hope shine through with its mere presence. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with an album dominated by downbeat material, Call Me Crazy is hindered by its near-lifeless production. Much like with his later work with Reba McEntire and his one album with Trisha Yearwood, producer Tony Brown doesn’t find the courage to go strongly in one direction to make the whole project sound distinctive and compelling. The arrangements lack both the grandeur and bombast of great pop and the authenticity of traditional country, settling for a weak-kneed alchemy of the two instead. As a result, the album’s songs begin to blur together, rather than sounding like individual elements of a cohesive whole. It doesn’t help matters that there’s some largely indifferent material scattered among the standout tracks, like the late country legend name-dropping “I Think I Know” and the flaccid cover of George Strait’s “The King of Broken Hearts.” Even the intriguing philosophical numbers “The Bees” and “Story of My Life” don’t reach their potential because the arrangements and Womacks’ delivery feel so detached. So while there are some truly sublime moments on Call Me Crazy, the whole is less than the sum of its parts, making this more akin to Something Worth Leaving Behind than There’s More Where That Came From. The jarring contrast between the album’s packaging and its actual contents muddy the water even further. It’s hard to shake the sense that there wasn’t a clear vision about the direction in which this project should go. Fortunately, Womack is such a talented performer that the album still satisfies in many ways, but it’s not quite up to the bar she has set so high with her best work.
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 20 2008, 08:10 PM
Post #10
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Another from Roughstock:
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Lee Ann Womack - Call Me CrazyBy: Matt Bjorke Over the course of her career, Lee Ann Womack has been praised for her traditional country vocal and songs. While she's been pretty successful with traditional minded country songs, Lee Ann has also recorded some more contemporary sounding tracks, one of which, "I Hope You Dance" has been her most successful single to date. While she didn't have a smash hit like that one on There's More Where That came From, the traditionalists praised the album for its old-school sound. Trying to strike that balance between critical and commercial success, Lee Ann scrapped a whole album of songs and partnered with Tony Brown to record and release Call Me Crazy. Lead single "Last Call," opens the record and it serves as a wonderful bridge from the uber traditionalism of the previous album and the more contemporary vibe that is prevalent throughout Call Me Crazy. Written by one time Curb artist Shane McAnally and Erin Enderline (Co-writer of Alan Jackson's "Monday Morning Church"), "Last Call" tells an emotional story of a woman who was hurt deeply by a relationship and despite it being over and the number long removed from her phone, her memory is burned with that number's image and of the man calling it. "Solitary Thinkin'," Written by Waylon Payne, has a slinky, old school r&b vibe to it that just feels cool. Despite the R&B grooves, Lee Ann's voice still grounds the song in country music (as do the lyrics). While a majority of songs from Call Me Crazy are from outside songwriters, Lee Ann co-wrote four of the album's tracks. "New Again" is one of the tracks and it the melody has a sweet sound to it as Lee Ann sings a lyric that toasts to those people who are able to give old things a new life, whether it's a bicycle, a piece of clothing or an old heart. The beautiful harmony vocals on the track are provided by Lee Ann's ex-husband, Jason Sellers. Going introspective, Lee Ann asks where the "innocent but confident bright eyed, ready to take on the world girl is inside of her." It's a song that is sad and depressing, like many a classic country song, but at its center is a hopeful optimism that the 'lost girl' can be recovered. George Strait stopped by to provide a duet vocal on "Everything But Quits," a classic Countrypolitan sounding track about a couple who can do everything but end their relationship. "If These Walls Could Talk" is the other track co-written by Lee Ann (all were co-written with Dale Dodson, two also co-written with Dean Dillon and one was co-written with Casey Beathard). Warner Brothers artist Whitney Duncan co-wrote "I Found It In You" (with Brian Nash and Michael T. Post) and it's an interesting song about finding one's happiness and purpose in life. While grounded in tradition more than "I Hope You Dance," I get the same feeling about this song and feel as if it will be a huge hit single. "The King of Broken Hearts" is a classic Jim Lauderdale song that first became known because of George Strait and his film "Pure Country." And as one would guess from the Strait version, Lee Ann has kept the song grounded in the traditional country sounds that were the basis of her previous album. "The Bees" is an interesting song in that it features a strong kick drum beat as Lee Ann sings an interesting and abstract lyric about life and love and everything that goes in between it. Keith Urban sings harmonies on this superb track that was written by Natalie Hemby and Daniel Tashian. The record closes with a song that, while sounding very personal, it wasn’t wrote by Lee Ann. Hillary Lindsey, Brett James and Angelo wrote a song that showcases the stellar family harmonies of Lee Ann, Jason Sellers and their daughter Aubrey. Given the immense talent of Lee Ann and her songwriting, soulful sounding father Jason, Aubrey Sellers is a youngster worth keeping an eye out for. At the end of the day, Call Me Crazy is an album that should please fans of both the traditional and contemporary sides of Lee Ann Womack. It's a well-written, sung, played and recorded album that only helps to prove why Lee Ann Womack is one of modern country music's most treasured artists.
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 20 2008, 08:29 PM
Post #11
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One from Country Stars Central:
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Call Me Crazy Album ReviewBy Christian ScaliseCountry music darling, vocal phenomenon Lee Ann Womack makes her highly anticipated return to country music with her seventh studio album, Call Me Crazy, produced by the legendary Tony Brown, who has worked with some of the biggest names in the business. (Reba McEntire, George Strait, Steve Earle, Vince Gill) After a three-year hiatus from her 2005 critically-acclaimed album There’s More Where That Came From, (awarded Album of the Year in 2005 by the CMA) Lee Ann proves that her absence from the Country Music scene was well worth the wait. I couldn’t be any happier to hear new music from one of the finest voices of all time. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey…. Call Me Crazy is an exceptional album, possibly one of Lee Ann’s finest to date, filled with heartaches, story-telling, break-ups, tributes, and a whole lot of drinkin’ tunes! (It’s okay to grab a cold one before popping this CD into your player... you may need it respectively) The album’s first single “Last Call” captures listeners’ attention with its pure country style, and striking similarities to past LAW hits “The Fool,” “Never Again, Again,” and “I May Hate Myself In the Morning.” Lee Ann successfully paints the picture of a broken heart, and challenges with love lost on “Last Call.” This stellar tune takes us back to the originality of country music history and its solid structure that greats Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton built their careers upon. What a shame country radio hasn’t given the stellar tune more spins on the airwaves, but why am I not surprised? Oh that’s right…there’s not a hint of pop-influenced country to be found anywhere on this record… Just traditional COUNTRY MUSIC! There’s a handful of career firsts for Lee Ann this time around with her new album … The biggest one has to be her coming full circle moment on her magical duet with musical hero, country legend, George Strait on the honky-tonk influenced, “Everything But Quits.” The two Texans distinctive voices compliment each other beautifully on the outstanding duet, which possesses all the key ingredients (Real country, Real singers, and Real talent) to become a classic for many years to come. This also marks the first time Lee Ann has had a creative hand as a songwriter/co-writer on four brand-new tracks, “New Again,” “Have You Seen That Girl,” “If These Walls Could Talk,” and “Everything But Quits.” It’s great to see this side of Lee Ann in the songwriting aspect of music. The country songbird belts her sweet little heart out on an electrifying cover of the George Strait classic, “The King Of Broken Hearts” written and also sung by country artist Jim Lauderdale. Adding a new twist to it, Lee Ann makes it her own. Womack has a convincing way of turning real-life everyday issues that we face into delicate, emotion-packed offerings that touch your heart and inspire your soul sprinkled with her sensational finesse as an artist! She has the gift of taking any song of any genre and soaring vocally with it. This unique tune, “The Bees” features harmony vocals by music superstar Keith Urban, but it’s a bit tricky hearing his contribution to the tune unless you listen to it very carefully. The song maintains a steady beat and the meaning of it takes a few times of listening to comprehend. From what I could hear, Lee Ann and Keith’s smoky and strong vocals compliment each other immensely… I wish they had done an actual duet together; that would’ve been killer! What a touching tribute to the late greats of country on “I Think I Know.” Never one to invoke the names of country icons to their advantage, Lee Ann sings about the losses in life and the things that matter most to us in honor of significant country legends Keith Whitley, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash. Her angelic voice hits hard on this touching tune. Don’t be too surprised if this one brings tears to your eyes. You’ll find yourself questioning your priorities on the upbeat tune “I Found It In You,” which finds us asking what it is in life that moves us and satisfies our needs. Whether it’s in the magazines we read, the way we spend your earnings, or who we choose to associate with, it all comes down to one thing…. The source of where you find true happiness and in this case it’s with one’s significant other. Lee Ann revisits the past on the chilling “Have You Seen That Girl,” (One of the four songs she wrote/co-wrote) a song about a woman questioning the existence of a time when she once took chances, lived life, and kept a positive outlook on her dreams until a few wrong turns jaded her judgment. Lee Ann’s gentle vocals add an almost child-like touch to the ballad. The emotions run deep and wide on the heart-wrenching “If These Walls Could Talk.” The home that holds a lifetime of memories and quarrels lets the walls in for a listen, and share they do. Lee Ann conveys the hurt and disappointment on this stone-cold country creation. The sweet sounds of the pedal steel guitar resonate as Lee Ann serenades. Lee Ann closes out this magical journey with “The Story Of My Life,” a beautiful song about holding everything sacred in your life close to your heart. This song tells of everything that any person would want their loved ones to practice in life. From the songs opening to its ending, you’ll feel the powerful message that the song displays to the listener. If this song is any indication of how Lee Ann lives her own life, then I have that much more respect for her. I predict this song, (IF released as a single), a fitting follow-up to her smash-hit “I Hope You Dance.” If you’re looking for an album that represents passion, maturity, honesty, exceptional talent, and a whole lot of REAL COUNTRY, then you have come to the right place! We’d be CRAZY to not give Lee Ann Womack’s latest album Call Me Crazy FIVE Country Stars Central Guitars!!
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 20 2008, 08:51 PM
Post #12
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A new one from All Music Guide:
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by Thom Jurek There are few vocalists in contemporary country music who can make a sad song feel so good. Lee Ann Womack is a poetess in her expressiveness. She uses it not only to communicate what's in the lyrics she sings, but also to arrest the listener's disbelief by underscoring her commitment to the dictum that positive change is always possible if you can survive the darkness. Call Me Crazy is Womack's first album in three years, a follow-up to her game-changing There's More Where That Came From. It walks a schizophrenic line both emotionally and musically: some moments recall the elegant, '70s pop-country sound that she consciously evoked on her previous disc, and there are others that are startlingly contemporary even by today's standards. Produced by Tony Brown, Call Me Crazy underscores his greatest strength: getting the essence of a vocalist across in a mix; but also his greatest weakness: the seeming inability to leave a musical backdrop until it's cluttered to death. The set's opener, "Last Call," is a classic example of what makes Womack such a fascinating and emotionally resonant singer. This is a weeper, but also a song with its self-determination intact. The protagonist sees a phone number on her cell, and knows just who it is, but doesn't answer. She knows her former lover is in a bar and desperate, listening to cheating songs and drinking. She refuses to answer because she knows she's always his last call. The weave of acoustic guitars, a lonesome pedal steel, grand piano, fretless bass, and mandolin make it unmistakable as a country song, but it's not militant in either its arrangement or vocal. She's half sorry but experientially past the moment of returning to earlier mistakes. Smack dab in the middle of the album is "The Bees," a tune with a folksy country melody, but with an instrumental and sonic arrangement that feels like Tom Waits meets Brian Eno! It's almost sci-fi it feels so out of place, but it also feels like she should have done an entire record like this with its pump organ, deep, slapping basslines, dirty drums, and loops allowing her vocal an entirely new depth. (If this were the single there might be hope for contemporary country yet.) But there is some real snooze-worthy stuff here too. The hollow "The King of Broken Hearts" features Womack doing her best Dolly Parton but the mix fails to ignite. Likewise, "The Story of My Life" can't decide whether it wants to be a modern production number or a simple country song. Womack contributed three fine songs to the set, the plaintive, tender "Have You Seen That Girl," a lilting honky tonk waltz called "If These Walls Could Talk," and, the wildly over-produced "Everything but Quits," a duet with George Strait -- a great song all but ruined by Brown's studio excesses. Despite a couple of missteps, there is plenty to like here. Call Me Crazy continues Womack's journey of creating her own sonic brand. Perhaps next time she will flex her star power more and insist on more production control. - http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gifyxzrkldae~T1
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 21 2008, 05:31 PM
Post #13
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Now, I've got a lot more:
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From the The Hartford Courant: LEE ANN WOMACK Call Me CrazyMCA Nashville Her 2000 crossover hit "I Hope You Dance" was typical of a disc so intently pop-leaning it seemed she was letting go of her roots, but five years later Lee Ann Womack found her way back to traditionally styled material for There's More Where That Came From, which earned the Country Music Association's album of the year award. The Texas-bred singer returns with Call Me Crazy, a similar assortment of tunes that are modern and accessible, but with a classic sensibility. Her singing pretty and poised, Womack caresses each song as she extracts its core emotions, whether the slow-burn sadness of the shimmering swirl of organ and steel guitar on "Either Way," or the affirmation of "I Found it in You," where she stokes passion without giving it undue buildup. She handles every touchstone with similar understatement, akin to a more delicate Patty Loveless as she digs into the troubled thinking of the sultry "Last Call" in ways both elegant and homespun. George Strait returns joins her on the duet "Everything but Quits" for a pairing of artists who trade in subtleties. Womack's natural balance of tasteful and evocative shapes each tune it touches, carefully stretching the likes of "Solitary Thinkin'" to make it sweet-sounding and substantial. Essential download: "Last Call" -- Thomas Kintner - http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/reviews/albums/hc-albums1021.artoct21,0,2475635.story
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From Boston.com: 'Crazy' for feeling so lonelyOctober 21, 2008 Lee Ann WomackCall Me Crazy (MCA Nashville)ESSENTIAL "New Again"Lee Ann Womack is a woman of her word. The country star called her superb 2005 album There's More Where That Came From and makes good on that promise with Call Me Crazy. While More was a deliberate throwback to the vintage sounds of '60s and '70s Nashville, Womack retains some of that homespun charm on this quietly contemplative new album out today. Midlife themes permeate the album in ways both joyful and pensive. All-over-but-the-shouting ballad "Either Way" traces the almost invisible descent of long-term love from giddy to numb with a gentle banjo-pedal steel pas de deux. Analogies about restoring hand-me-downs and damaged goods make clever conceits on the sweetly optimistic "New Again." "Have You Seen That Girl" tries to relocate the audacious teen who approached life fearlessly. And George Strait sidles up to duet on "Everything But Quits," a tale of volatile but enduring love that sounds like it was plucked directly from a George Jones-Tammy Wynette argument. In addition to the timeless-sounding tracks, Crazy includes a few olive branches to contemporary country radio. The love-affirming "I Found it in You" has a bright snap to its beat, and "Last Call" is a drinking song of the highest order. The best thing about those tunes is that even though they seem like bids for hits, they don't sound remotely like compromises. We'll take that kind of "Crazy" any day. [Sarah Rodman]
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 21 2008, 05:43 PM
Post #14
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From Country Standard Time: Call Me Crazy – 2008 (MCA Nashville) Lee Ann WomackReviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz The title track of Lee Ann Womack's first CD since 2005's traditional masterpiece There's More Where That Came From should have been the name of that CD because There's More was a real risk taker. Womack did wonders with the material there. While not quite the same left field beauty, Womack puts out another excellent batch of music three years later. The songs work best when Womack opts for the traditional approach. Womack is on the top of her game on songs like "If These Walls Could Talk" where she sounds like someone who grew up on traditional country in Texas. It probably also helps that Womack had a hand in writing the song, one of four she helped pen. The pedal steel of ace Larry Franklin is so prominent, giving the song even more heartache. Womack continues in the traditional vein with another she helped write "Everything But Quits". The song is highlighted by a duet with George Strait with both turning in stellar vocal chops. And the Strait continues on Jim Lauderdale's "The King of Broken Hearts", which Strait also recorded. Womack's vocal instrument captures the love pain of the song. Not everything is so traditional, but Womack also seems comfortable with her musical state of life, meaning she's not going for the commercial jugular. And along with producer Tony Brown, who knows a thing or two about country music, they picked a dozen songs that work for Womack. Maybe you could call Womack crazy for opting to go down that path, but Womack once again thankfully moves to her musical muse. - http://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=3984
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From Newsday.com: Lee Ann's newest: 'Crazy' like a foxBy Glenn Gamboa | glenn.gamboa@newsday.com October 21, 2008 Though Lee Ann Womack's last album, There's More Where That Came From, was a critical smash, as the Texas singer embraced her traditional country roots, it could not compare commercially to the hit "I Hope You Dance." So, on her new album, Call Me Crazy (MCA Nashville), Womack tries something almost completely different. She keeps her melodic focus on the country sounds of the '60s and '70s, which complement her poignant voice, but, with the help of producer Tony Brown, surrounds it with a more contemporary country sound. It works well on the first single, "Last Call," a whiskey-soaked tale of drunk dialing and self-esteem that welds the memorable line "I bet you're in a bar, 'cause I'm always your last call" to a lovely bit of acoustic guitar picking and piano tinkling. The plan also works with "The Bees," which includes harmonies from Keith Urban, as Womack pushes boundaries lyrically. But on Call Me Crazy, even when she nails a song, as she does in the wrenching "Either Way," where she sings about "faking the perfect life" and adding, "The only time we ever talk is when the monthly bills are due," it still pales in comparison to her more traditional songs. When she tackles a classic country weeper in "The King of Broken Hearts," complete with aching pedal steel guitar, or sidles up next to the great George Strait in "Everything But Quits," it simply makes you wish for more where that came from. LEE ANN WOMACK "Call Me Crazy" THE GRADE B BOTTOM LINE Womack takes her love of traditional country in a whole new direction - http://www.newsday.com/services/newspaper/printedition/tuesday/partii/ny-etdropbox5891392oct21a,0,7268595.story
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Whoa-mack
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Oct 21 2008, 05:57 PM
Post #15
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From Angry Country: Lee Ann Womack - Call Me CrazyTuesday, October 21 2008 @ 06:30 PM EDT Contributed by: Melissa.Coker Calling all crazies: Lee Ann Womack's here to call you out…starting with "Last Call," an instant country classic featuring aching heartbreak and alcohol-rocky with a twist. Accompanied by a sufficiently sad video, the piece is the first single from Womack's eighth album, set to be in stores on the 28th. Written by Erin Enderlin ("Monday Morning Church") and Shane McAnally, it finds Womack wandering the streets when her (presumed) ex calls her to pick him up and lays loving lies on her all the while. Of special lyrical prowess are the changes in chorus from the first to last, describing the descent of song type and a glass of Johnny Walker Red. Also especially clever is the play of "I'm always your last call – me crazy," probably how the album title was conceived, too. Elsewhere, the unstoppable sentiment in "Everything But Quits," a duet with George Strait (their second together). The Womack/Strait pairing is a straight shot that clearly just comes natural. Southern rock sensation Waylon Payne, who starred as Jerry Lee Lewis in the movie Walk the Line, wrote the smooth "Solitary Thinkin'." And Keith Urban adds a unique flavor to the sweet circle of the five-minute spellbinding story of "The Bees." Among the other special songs making a stand on Crazy are "New Again" (co-written by Womack); "If These Walls Could Talk," and "I Think I Know." "Know" is beautiful, while also possibly one of the most depressing works ever – with lines like "I think I know what killed Keith Whitley" and "I think I know what took Old Johnny" flowing from the pens of hit writers Tom Shapiro, Tony Martin and Mark Nesler. Recording artist Whitney Duncan also lends in lyrics (on "I Found It In You"). Brent Mason, Chris Stapleton, Wes Hightower, Jason Sellers, and other notable talents share vocals and musicianship to the collection. The album is produced by the acclaimed Tony Brown. Crazy is as crazy does, and Lee Ann plays the part with style. ..so she just might be the lunatic you're looking for. -MELISSA COKER - http://magazine.angrycountry.com/article.php?story=20081021140926976
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