Nobody knows you better than your friends. That definitely
applies to mine when it comes to music. Late one evening in 2004, one of my
best friends called me and told I had to hear the new single from Lee Ann
Womack. He said I would totally flip.
Truer words were never spoken.
The song was “I May Hate Myself In The Morning.” It was about
as old-school Country as one could get. And, the subject matter – about making
that late night run somewhere you didn’t need to go to see someone you didn’t
need to see was straight out of a 1982 episode of Dallas. The yearning. The
anguish. The debate between what’s right….and what feels right. Womack sold
every note. Making the track even more unique was that the harmonies on the
record were from Jason Sellers – who the singer was married to prior. All in
all, there were no weak links on the record. The vocals. The harmonies. The
fiddle work. The steel. With apologies to Steve Goodman and David Allen Coe,
Lee Ann Womack had recorded the “perfect Country and Western song.” (Now, to be
fair…I might say the same thing had Womack recorded a cover of “Hit Me With
Your Best Shot” or simply took the bakery section from the Milwaukee Yellow
Pages. Since 1997, I’ve been a fan, but this song was – and is special.)
And, as we soon found out….There’s More Where That Came From.
No, seriously. There was. That was the name of the album that
soon followed. This album was a throwback in every day – even the cover art was
something akin to a 1972 Wynette or Lynn album. Full of heartfelt balladry and
a little bit of innuendo, this album was simply amazing from one track to the
next. There were songs about pain, loss….and urges that came out at night. The
title track was an equal masterpiece to the first single. Simply put, Lee Ann
Womack was singing what we all felt – at least once in our lives.
Some of my favorite performances on this CMA winner for Album of
the Year include the gripping “Painless,” the painstakingly brilliant “The Last
Time,” and “Stubborn (Psalms 151),” which if you’ve never heard before….stop
reading this, and find it now. Even the “hidden cut” was amazing, a nod to the
great duets of Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton on “Just Someone I Used To Know.”
Simply put, find me a weakness on this album. Just one. I dare you. It’s a
mission impossible!
There’s
More Where That Came From will be my featured album on the November 18 edition
of Crazy Chucky’s Country Classic Corner
on WNKX Kix 96.7 FM in Centerville, TN. Show time is 1pm, and is brought to you
by Tennessee Properties! Tune in….for the real thing!
