There's More Where That Came From (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Lee Ann Womack (background vocals); Lee Ann Womack (vocals); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar, banjo); Mark Casstevens (acoustic guitar); Brent Mason (electric guitar, gut-string guitar); David Grissom, Troy Lancaster (electric guitar); Rusty Danmyer, Robert Turner (steel guitar); Nashville String Machine (strings); Steve Nathan (piano, Wurlitzer piano, Wurlitzer organ, synthesizer); Jimmy Nichols (piano); Glenn Worf, Michael Rhodes (bass guitar); Lonnie Wilson, Shannon Forest (drums, percussion); Shannon Forrest (drums); Eric Darken (percussion); Luke Laird, Jason Sellers, Andrea Zonn (background vocals); Randy Scruggs, B. James Lowry (acoustic guitar); Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar, dobro); Larry Franklin, Aubrey Haynie (mandolin, fiddle); Stuart Duncan (mandolin); Jelly Roll Johnson (harmonica); Chris Rodriguez, Harry Stinson, Lisa Cochran, Wes Hightower, Bill Luther (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Greg Droman; Chuck Ainlay.

Recording information: Black Bird Studios, Nashville, TN; Essential Sound; House Of Gain, Nashville, TN; Oceanway Nashville; The Sound Kitchen, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: James Minchin.

Arranger: Bergen White.

Lee Ann Womack has always been more comfortable with country-pop than hardcore country, sounding relaxed and assured in smoother surroundings. That friendliness helped Womack become one of the most popular country singers of the late '90s, and it's what made her albums enjoyable even when they were a little bit too slick or relied on material that was just this side of generic. There's More Where That Came From, her fifth proper studio album and first after her 2004 Greatest Hits compilation, is still firmly within the country-pop confines, but there's a notable difference -- as the rather brilliant cover art suggests, this hearkens back to the sound and style of early-'70s country-pop albums from the likes of Barbara Mandrell, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton. Not that this is a retro effort, or anything like a stab at neo-traditionalist country. Instead, Womack takes her inspiration from these records, crafting a record that's laid-back but never lazy, smooth but never too slick, tuneful without being cloying. While it's not far removed from her earlier albums, There's More Where That Came From has a warmer feel, a textured, colorful production, and, best of all, a strong set of songs that may be highlighted by the cheater's anthem of the title track, but has 11 songs of equally high quality. All this adds up to an album that's not only the best album that Lee Ann Womack has yet made, but one that does suggest that there is indeed more where this came from. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Though Lee Ann Womack's voice has always betrayed the influence of 1960s and '70s country music, prior to THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM, her albums often concentrated on sophisticated Nashville pop-country. The vintage-style soft-focus cover photo and faux record dust jacket here, however, immediately signal a change of direction.

From the opening honky-tonk fiddle notes of the title track, it's clear that this disc is a conscious nod to the spirit of classics by Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn. Throughout the album, Womack's expressive vocals are backed by careening steel guitars and sweet piano licks, which seem to flow straight from the spirit hands of the late Nashville great Floyd Cramer. Though many of these songs deal with contemporary subject matter, they are treated with a gravity that is purely old-fashioned. "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" and "Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago" take stark and honest looks at life's less glamorous moments in an unflinching manner that lesser artists might avoid. "Happiness" is a gritty, archetypal song of the sort favored by Randy Travis, and the tune compares the search for its elusive subject to a never-ending road trip. With its charming retro vibe and strong songs, THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM stands as one of Womack's finest albums. minimize