I Need You [Bonus Tracks] (CD - 2001)

Producers include: Wilbur C. Rimes, LeAnn Rimes, Chuck Howard, Mike Curb, Trevor Horn.

Audio Mixer: John Holbrook.

Audio Remixer: Graham Stack.

Arrangers: Andrew Pryce Jackman; David Foster.

You have to wonder about Curb's choices for this album. Released amidst public notoriety that LeAnn didn't have creative input or support its release, I Need You is all over the place. If you had blinders on for the last five years and didn't know who LeAnn Rimes was, this album wouldn't tell you. There's no continuity in the songs or the sound. Is she country? Is she pop? Is she country-pop? I Need You contains some previously released material like the album's top ten title track, the hip "Can't Fight the Moonlight" from the Coyote Ugly soundtrack and the cheeky "Written in the Stars" with duet partner, Elton John.One thing that hasn't changed since 1996's Blue are LeAnn's powerhouse vocals. Hearing LeAnn sing ANYthing is always worth a listen, including the Rimes-penned "Together, Forever & Always" and the cool "One of These Days," but this time around, LeAnn fans would do well to support the 18-year-old and her management when they ask you not to buy the album. ~ Maria Konicki Dinoia

LeAnn Rimes had been inching toward pop as the '90s grew to a close, but she truly lunged at the pop charts with the soundtrack to Coyote Ugly, providing the voice for Piper Perabo's star-struck, fledgling singer/songwriter. This was a prelude to 2001's I Need You, her first full-fledged pop album -- a crossover affair with more in common with Faith Hill's Breathe than Shania Twain's Come on Over. That means that its footing is squarely within adult contemporary pop, and it's heavy on ballads. Even when the tempo is kicked up a notch, as on "You Are" with its percolating drum machines, it's still mid-tempo AC pop. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially since she has a couple of good songs here (notably "I Need You," "But I Do Love You," and the Coyote leftover, "Can't Fight the Moonlight"), but it's not the most natural move in the world, either. Rimes' impressive voice sounds restrained in this setting, too self-consciously mature. In a nutshell, that's the problem with I Need You -- it's a teenager attempting to make a thirtysomething album. That she occasionally succeeds is a testament to her vocal talents and the skills of her producers, but it shouldn't be surprising that it also feels awkward for large stretches, never quite becoming as alluring as Breathe, because this is a sound that she needs to grow into to be totally convincing. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

With I NEED YOU, her first full-fledged pop album, former country child prodigy LeAnn Rimes makes the leap from Opryland to the bubble-gum strewn halls normally populated by the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Among the guests helping Rimes out with her crossover journey are veteran tunesmiths Dianne Warren, who contributes three songs, and Sir Elton John. Both of Warren's ballads, "But I Do Love You" and "Soon," are the perfect platforms for Rimes and her soaring vocals. The remaining Warren cut, "Can't Fight the Moonlight," is a perfect slice of chugging mid-tempo dance pop reminiscent of teen queen Jessica Simpson. Elsewhere, "Written in the Stars" gives Rimes a chance to duet with Sir Elton on a sweeping number taken from the John and Tim Rice Broadway show "Aida."

Although cuts like the Rimes-penned "Together, Forever, Always," and upbeat "Love Must Be Telling Me Something" contain slight traces of pedal steel and mandolin, I NEED YOU falls squarely into the adult contemporary category dominated by fellow country refugee Faith Hill. Like Hill, LeAnn Rimes has mastered the intricacies of pop as ably as those of country music.

LeAnn Rimes had been inching toward pop as the '90s grew to a close, but she truly lunged at the pop charts with the soundtrack to Coyote Ugly, providing the voice for Piper Perabo's star-struck, fledgling singer/songwriter. This was a prelude to 2001's I Need You, her first full-fledged pop album -- a crossover affair with more in common with Faith Hill's Breathe than Shania Twain's Come on Over. That means that its footing is squarely within adult contemporary pop, and it's heavy on ballads. Even when the tempo is kicked up a notch, as on "You Are," with its percolating drum machines, it's still midtempo AC pop. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially since she has a couple of good songs here (notably "I Need You," "But I Do Love You," and the Coyote leftover, "Can't Fight the Moonlight"). That she succeeds at all is a testament to her vocal talents and the skills of her producers. [The 2002 reissue features a different track order and five extra songs, including "Light the Fire Within" and several radio edits] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

LeAnn Rimes had been inching toward pop as the '90s grew to a close, but she truly lunged at the pop charts with the soundtrack to Coyote Ugly, providing the voice for Piper Perabo's star-struck, fledgling singer/songwriter. This was a prelude to 2001's I Need You, her first full-fledged pop album -- a crossover affair with more in common with Faith Hill's Breathe than Shania Twain's Come on Over. That means that its footing is squarely within adult contemporary pop, and it's heavy on ballads. Even when the tempo is kicked up a notch, as on "You Are" with its percolating drum machines, it's still mid-tempo AC pop. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially since she has a couple of good songs here (notably "I Need You," "But I Do Love You," and the Coyote leftover, "Can't Fight the Moonlight"), but it's not the most natural move in the world, either. Rimes' impressive voice sounds restrained in this setting, too self-consciously mature. In a nutshell, that's the problem with I Need You -- it's a teenager attempting to make a thirtysomething album. That she occasionally succeeds is a testament to her vocal talents and the skills of her producers, but it shouldn't be surprising that it also feels awkward for large stretches, never quite becoming as alluring as Breathe, because this is a sound that she needs to grow into to be totally convincing. [The 2002 reissue features a different track order and five extra songs, including "Light the Fire Within" and several radio edits] ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize