Some Things I Know (CD - 1998)

Personnel: Lee Ann Womack (vocals); Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar, banjo); Pat Flynn, Biff Watson (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar); Larry Franklin (mandolin, fiddle); Jelly Roll Johnson (harmonica); Tony Harrell (piano, Wurlitzer piano, Hammond B-3 organ, synthesizer); Steve Nathan (piano, Hammond B-3 organ); Hargus "Pig" Robbins (piano); Glenn Worf, Mike Brignardello (bass); Lonnie Wilson, Chad Cromwell (drums); Tom Roady (percussion); Mark Wright, Scott Emerick, Ricky Skaggs, Sharon White Skaggs, D. Bergen White, Lisa Silver, Lisa Cochran, Curtis Young, Liana Manis, Buddy Miller, Julie Miller, Joe Diffie, Vince Gill, Jason Sellers (background vocals).

The Nashville String Machine: Pamela Sixfin, Lee Larrison, David H. Davidson, Mary K. Vanosdale, David Angell, Catherine Umstead, Cate Myer, Kristin Wilkinson, Angell Monisa, Alan Umstead, Gary Vanosdale, Robert Mason, John Catchings.

All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.

"A Little Past Little Rock" was nominated for a 1999 Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance.

On her sophomore release, Lee Ann Womack continues her commitment to recording traditional country music. Featuring material from some of Nashville's best writers, and harmony vocals from Vince Gill, SOME THINGS I KNOW showcases Womack's terrific voice, which is reminiscent of a young Dolly Parton. She's delicate and vulnerable on ballads like the title track and "Don't Tell Me," and smart 'n' sassy on uptempo numbers like "(Now You See Me) Now You Don't" and the absolutely hysterical "I'll Think Of A Reason Later."

A standout is "The Man Who Made My Mama Cry," a song co-written by Womack, in which she angrily tells off the absentee father who's trying to reenter her life. But the album's highlight is a collaboration with Joe Diffie, "I'd Rather Have What We Had," in which two adulterous lovers finally make it legal, only to find that they're bored beyond belief. Tammy Wynette could've recorded this song 20 years ago, yet in Womack's hands, it sounds completely modern. That's her true talent--one which SOME THINGS I KNOW shows off to full effect. minimize