Sittin' on Top of the World (CD - 1998)

Personnel: LeAnn Rimes (vocals, percussion); Milo Dearing (acoustic, electric & steel guitars, mandolin, dobro, fiddle); Jerry Metheny, Marty Walsh (acoustic & electric guitars); Junior Knight (acoustic & steel guitars); Kevin Bailey (acoustic guitar); Glynn Flemming (electric guitar); Gary Leach (piano, keyboards, background vocals); Kelly Glenn (piano, keyboards); Randy Fouts (piano); Curtis Randall (bass, background vocals); Bob Gentry (bass); Dan Wojciechowski (drums); Carl Albrecht, Fred Glieber (percussion); Chastity Marie, Stephanie Marie, Perry Coleman, Matthew Ward, Debi Lee, Rita Baloche, Terry Cashburn, Bryan White.

Recorded at Rosewood Studios, Tyler, Texas.

Personnel: LeAnn Rimes (percussion, background vocals); Jerry Metheny, Marty Walsh (acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Milo Deering (acoustic guitar, dobro, fiddle); Junior Knight, Kevin Bailey (acoustic guitar); Glynn Flemming (electric guitar); Gary Leach (piano, keyboards, background vocals); Kelly Glenn (piano, keyboards); Randy Fouts (piano); Dan Wojeciechowski (drums); Fred Glieber, Carl Albrecht (percussion); Curtis Randall, Chastity Marie, Terry "Caz" Casburn, Stephanie Marie, Debi Lee, Matthew Ward, Rita Baloche, Perry Coleman, Bryan White (background vocals).

Audio Mixer: Wilbur C. Rimes.

Recording information: Rosewood Studios, Tyler, TX.

Photographer: Andrew Eccles.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Junior Knight; Milo Deering.

Arrangers: Greg Hunt; Gary Leach; Bob Gentry ; Wilbur C. Rimes.

Truth be told, the "country" label doesn't quite fit LeAnn Rimes. True, her debut single, "Blue," sounded like a lost honky tonk classic, but You Light Up My Life suggested that she wanted to be an adult contemporary crooner. Her third album (and, in many ways, the official follow-up to Blue), Sittin' on Top of the World, may be called country, but it's an adult contemporary album by any other name. Only three songs have any country feel to them, and they just barely fit that description -- there may be steel guitars on "These Arms of Mine," and "Rock Me" may shuffle, but they hardly feel country. Most of the record consists of mid-tempo pop songs, as produced by her father, Wilbur. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Truth be told, the "country" label doesn't quite fit LeAnn Rimes. True, her debut single, "Blue," sounded like a lost honky tonk classic, but You Light Up My Life suggested that she wanted to be an adult contemporary crooner. Her third album (and, in many ways, the official follow-up to Blue), Sittin' on Top of the World, may be called country, but it's an adult contemporary album by any other name. Only three songs have any country feel to them, and they just barely fit that description -- there may be steel guitars on "These Arms of Mine," and "Rock Me" may shuffle, but they hardly feel country. Most of the record consists of overarranged mid-tempo pop songs, as produced by her father, Wilbur. There's no denying that Rimes is quite talented and, given the proper guidance, could definitely make some great music, but Wilbur has selected a batch of material that's either inappropriate (really, Prince's "Purple Rain"?) or faceless. He's also pushed her to oversing, in hopes that it would sell the songs, but the truth of the matter is, she sounds best when she's relaxed and natural. And that's what's so frustrating about Sittin' on Top of the World -- Rimes' gifts and personality surface just often enough to make you realize that this blandly pleasant album could have been much, much better. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

The Diane Warren tune and semi-R&B vocalisms should clue you in to the fact that the young Ms. Rimes is stretching the definition of "Country" on SITTIN' ON TOP OF THE WORLD, but in the late '90s Nashville scene, that's practically the norm. Considering that her previous album was a batch of "inspirational" (if not Gospel) tunes, this more secular outing could almost be considered the real followup to her kazillion-selling debut recording. As such, it represents the kind of changes that come hard and fast in the life of a teenager (which she is, even if she doesn't sound like it). Many of the songs find her moving further and further away from her Country roots in pursuit of a more pop-oriented sound, though even the least Nashville-sounding tunes here contain flashes of pedal steel and vocal twang to remind the audience of where Rimes comes from. minimize