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Others have lamented Nashville's attempts to take respectable female country artists and transform them into crossover successes. The question always remains that while reaching for the elusive brass ring of multi-catagory success do "our" stars lose their grounding in anything remotely "country"? A common example is Faith Hill's recent work (2002's Cry) where her focus on glamour and torch songs was seen as turning her back on country audiences for the wider success of American pop radio. A more extreme example is Shania Twain's "Up!!!" album in which the listener is given two CDs with the very same songs on each. The difference between the two CDs is that on one Twain's vocal track is backed up by country instrumentation and the other she is backed up by more customary "pop" instrumentation. This only underlined the suspicions of many that much of what has recently been passed off as "country music" is nothing more than "pop" songs with a steel guitar thrown in to make it sound authentic.

Lee Ann Womack began her recording career with two excellent country albums. This period is presented here as the first six cuts. This is the Lee Ann Womack I enjoy the most. "A Little Past Little Rock" and "I'll Think Of A Reason Later" are a part of country music at its best with the first expressing romantic sorrow and the second has the singer poking fun at herself.

This is followed by her more recent catalogue beginning with "I Hope You Dance". "I Hope You Dance" was wildly popular on both the country and pop charts but it marked a change. Gone was the twangy Texan for a smoother, almost "little girl" voice. We also note the presence of heavy orchestration behind Womack. Worst of all is the most "un-country" like indulgence in saccharine sweet preachiness that tries to pass itself off as "older but wiser" wisdom. "Ashes By Now" returns the old Rodney Crowell well; but again Womack's vocal doesn't seem to marry well with the music.

"Something Worth Leaving Behind" attempts another "I Hope You Dance" success but in retrospect was another reach for the proverbial pop music brass ring in which Womack only ends up falling off the horse. Much better is "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger". Here we come to a return to more solid ground as Womack confronts a philandering husband.

Womack does a very nice turn with Willie Nelson in "Mendocino County Line" and the two new songs may signal that Womack is coming back to her real strengths as a country artist. "The Wrong Girl" and "Time For Me To Go" are two little gems that I like better than most of Womack's recent releases.

In my tastes I am not so much as a "purest" as I am a "realist". By that I mean that historically all the different styles of American music borrow and steal from each other with impunity. I am not bothered by the fact that "rock" influences have been seeping into country music for years. Unlike Alan Jackson, I see nothing wrong with "rockin' the jukebox". But some things work and others do not. Country music does not need its best female stars try to emulate Celine Dion. And all signs indicate that this realization has dawned on Nashville.

This collection is a good sample of Lee Ann Womack's music. Even with misgivings about her "middle" period, Womack is one of the best female country stars we have. If you are so inclined, you might also pick up her first two albums-of which "Some Things I Know" is an absolute treasure.


A Nice Summation Of One Of Current Country's Top Artists   May 23, 2004
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

With the honky tonk lament "Never Again, Again," Lee Ann Womack and her adenoidal, Partonesque voice arrived on the country charts in early 1997. Follow-up singles on her first two albums, like the uptempo "(Now You See Me) Now You Don't" and "I'll hink Of A Reason Later," as well as the delicate ballads "The Fool" and "A Little Past Little Rock," then solidified her as a favorite of traditional country listeners.

Womack's third album I Hope You Dance (2000) was far more eclectic. The Rodney Crowell scorcher "Ashes By Now" infused rock and tropical sounds, while "Does My Ring Burn Your Finger" added bluegrass into her repertoire. "Why They Call It Falling" was a sparse, acoustic gem and the optimistic title track struck a chord with the nation and ultimately became a major pop hit.

In light of the major crossover success of the "I Hope You Dance" single, it is not surprising that Womack's next album Something Worth Leaving Behind (2002) aimed for the masses again, this time with an overly polished and synth-laden sound. But aside from the title track (an "I Hope You Dance" knockoff), it was lacking in hits. "Mendocino County Line" - a Grammy-winning collaboration with Willie Nelson - followed soon after, its harmonious blend overshadowing the song's ambiguous storyline.

Greatest Hits contains all twelve of Womack's top 25 country hits (including the aforementioned singles), plus two new tracks "The Wrong Girl" and "Time For Me To Go" that thankfully return Womack to her traditional roots. While I would have also included the toe-tapping single "Buckaroo" (which peaked just outside the top 25), Greatest Hits serves as a strong summation of Womack's first eight years as an MCA recording artist.


Good Music!   September 15, 2005
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Something Worth Leaving Behind, Ashes By Now, Mendocino County Line...
Although the rest of this CD is fantastic, the first 3 songs I listed make this CD worth the price.
Every time I hear Ashes By Now I can't help but crank up the volume to get the full effect of her voice and the music.
She is one talented lady... {Gotta give a little credit to Rodney Crowell, who wrote Ashes By Now, That man writes the most kick ass songs in the world} Even without "I Hope You Dance". Which, by the way, is also a great tune.
I don't think I've ever listened to a better Greatest Hits CD from an artist that hasn't been around all that long.
You won't be disappointed spending your $$ on this CD


Something NOT Worth Leaving Behind!   July 2, 2004
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm NOT one of the biggest Loretta Lynn Fans around, but, I do admire her as an artist and love some of her work, and in 2004, her career is at an all time high - again! A few years ago, possibly around the times LEE ANN WOMACK's 1st or 2nd album was coasting on the charts and radio play lists, there was a Loretta Lynn interview in a national magazine I had to read, outta curiosity about what the Country Queen was up to in the late 1990's...to make a long story short, the author/article interviewer asked her WHO she thought was the hottest and most promising new/recent C&W artist in her opinion...she named LEE ANN WOMACK as that little girl she admired most for maintaining a sense of traditional country music in her artistry. WOW! God knows we all love Country when it rocks, and Lee Ann's music contained that element and a wonderful sense of C&W balladry within her music. LEE ANN's first three albums were a combined collage of traditional sounding ballads and upbeat numbers that successfully hypnotized, enchanted and drew music lovers into her world of tasteful C&W escapades you could drown and wrap your ears, heart and soul in. While most so called Country artists around her were churning out uninspired pop-rock schlock more related to the classic Lynyrd Skynyrd era of the 1970s, LEE ANN WOMACK was becoming the brilliant bejeweled ruby in Country Music's crown. By her third and masterpiece album, "I HOPE YOU DANCE", Lee Ann had become the most intriguing, watched, anticipated, and listened to Country artist - thank Loretta Lynn for her enthused stamp of approval - achieving Pop-Rock cross over appeal and mesmerizing the Rock music masses! Even Oprah Winfrey had to feature her and her "I HOPE YOU DANCE" song on her widely acknowledged and beloved talk show - an explanation to an inspired Oprah was due! Lee Ann was elevated to a higher level of acceptance by all people of all walks of life. Pop crossover international success must have elated and inspired this uniquely gifted country artist to record her next album, "Something Worth Leaving Behind" in a mostly bland Pop vein. With all the singles spawned from an album these days, GREATEST HITS is an improper testament to LEE ANN WOMACK's initial run of hit singles and hit albums from the first era of her intriguing recordings. Many essential singles and tracks were omitted here, despite good overall representation. Let's all hope and pray that for the next Greatest Hits collection, the next dozen or so singles representing her next three or four albums will represent a return to her exploration of traditional country styles which display a flair and sense of modern sounds in her music to keep it as refreshing as only she has been able to achieve during the past decade while her peers ahve failed. LEE ANN, get back to your roots, Pop-Rock Top 40 needs your traditionalist music to decorate its gloomy and vastly boring landscape.


Retrospective   December 30, 2004
 6 out of 7 found this review helpful

It may seem too soon for a GREATEST HITS collection from Lee Ann Womack, but she has had some big hits since her debut album in 1997, up until now in 2004. When Lee Ann Womack's debut came out in 1997, it was refreshing to hear a female country singer who was so traditional sounding in country music, when the norm was going to crossover. She would later adopt that style too, but no one has a voice like hers. This is a well documented collection, from her first single "Never Again, Again", to mega hits like "I Hope You Dance". One song I keep coming back to is "The Fool", this was her first big hit, going to #2 on the charts. It's a sad ballad about a woman who confronts her husbands ex who he is still in love with. She delivers the song with enough emotion to make it heartbreaking. Another great song is her 1998 hit "I'll Think of A Reason Later". What a clever song, about being jealous of her ex's new fiance. She also does a killer version of Rodney Crowell's "Ashes By Now". "Why They Call It Falling" is a nice poignant ballad. There's two new songs, "The Wrong Girl" and "Time For Me To Go". Both are nice, and show her going back to a more traditional country sound. Her new cd THERES MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM comes out February 8, 2005 and will be more traditional than her last album. This is a must have!