LeAnn Rimes - LeAnn Rimes

Essentially, LeAnn Rimes is a covers album, with one new song ("Big Deal") tacked onto the end, which makes it a return to her roots -- which, in turn, means that it's sort of a salute to her main influence, Patsy Cline. Rimes tackles no less than five songs from Cline's 12 Greatest Hits, plus "Lovesick Blues," which Cline also recorded. It's a tricky situation for a singer pegged as a Cline soundalike with her first hit single, "Blue." If those comparisons bother Rimes, it's impossible to tell from her performance, since she sings these six songs exactly like Cline does. As it turns out, imitation is a crutch Rimes uses quite often, since she mimics Janis Joplin on "Me and Bobby McGee" and pretty much uses Marty Robbins as a guide vocal on "Don't Worry." Since she has a good voice and these are, by and large, great songs, it's hard to complain -- given the best set of songs of her career, she delivers good, professional performances, stumbling only on "Me and Bobby McGee" with Joplin-like histrionics. So, LeAnn Rimes winds up being one of her better efforts, even if her vocals are fairly mannered and the arrangements are fairly predictable. But the most curious thing about this covers album is that Rimes turns in her best performance on the lone new track. She sounds loose, confident and exciting on "Big Deal," and even more importantly, she never sounds like one of her idols -- she sounds like herself. And since it comes at the end of the record, you can't help but wish she'd recorded an album of new, pure country songs as good as "Big Deal" instead of a collection of covers, no matter how well she sang those covers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Name Credits Alan Umstead Strings Andrew Southam Photography Annagrey LaBasse Vocals (Background) Anthony LaMarchina Strings Austin Deptula Digital Editing, Mastering, Assistant Engineer, Keyboards, Vocals (Background), Editing B. James Lowry Guitar (Electric), Guitar (7 String Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (7 String Electric) Bob Horn Second Engineer Carl Albrecht Percussion Carl Gorodetzky Strings Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz Strings Catherine Umstead Strings Charlie Barnett Percussion Chris Wann Vocals (Background) Clara Olson Strings Connie Ellison Strings Curtis Randall Bass Darrell Holt Conductor, Vibraphone David Angell Strings David Davidson Strings David Pruitt Vocals (Background) Debi Lee Vocals (Background) Denise Baker Strings Elisabeth K. Small Strings Fred Glieber Drums Gary Leach Keyboards, Vocals (Background), Assistant Engineer, Organ Gary VanOsdale Strings George Blodwell Wardrobe Gerald Greer Strings Geraldine Hunt Engineer Glenn Sweitzer Art Direction, Design Grace Bahng Strings Greg Hunt Engineer Heidi Lee Make-Up Jerry Metheny Guitar (7 String Electric), Guitar (7 String Acoustic), Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) John D. Sharp Vocals (Background) John R. Sharp Vocals (Background) Julia Tanner Strings Junior Knight Guitar (Steel) Karen Winkelmann Strings Kathryn Plummer Strings Kelly Glenn Piano Kristin Wilkinson Strings, Contractor LeAnn Rimes Producer, Vocals (Background) Lee Harrison Strings Marty Walsh Guitar (Electric) Mary Kathryn Vanosdale Strings Matthew Ward Vocals (Background) Mike Brignardello Bass, Tic Tac Milo Deering Guitar (Steel), Pedal Steel, Fiddle Pamela Sixfin Strings Paul Leim Drums, Percussion Perry Coleman Vocals (Background) Randy Fouts Piano, Keyboards Richard Grosjean Strings Rita Baloche Vocals (Background) Robert Mason Strings Terry Christian Engineer Wilbur C. Rimes Producer