LeAnn Rimes Album: “Twisted Angel”

Would someone tell those country music nuts to lay off LeAnn for crossing over into mainstream music? She sounds better than ever and you can hear it in her voice and her songs.

"Twisted Angel" is the first album since LeAnn declared that she would no longer sing "real" country music. This album blends pop, rock, and country to create a winning formula that LeAnn can take advantage of because no female currently sings in this mixed genre. Even though there are some in-your-face country tracks on the disc, it's a good listen.

Life Goes On: 4/5 - It wouldn't have been my choice for the first single off the album but it's a good song.

Wound Up: 3/5 - Your typical country song about some weird topic. It's not the worst but it could be better.

The Safest Place: 4/5 - LeAnn can sing any song in any genre but she really shines on ballads, this song including.

Trouble With Goodbye: 2/5 - One word: corny.

Damn: 5/5 - A great song that shows LeAnn's fantastic vocal ability. Easily one of the best songs on the album.

Suddenly: 5/5 - My choice for the first single, this track is the best the album has to offer. LeAnn could take this song and its genre and run with it. Just an awesome song.

Tic Toc: 3/5 - And people complain about Britney Spears being too sexual? Not one of the album's highlights.

Sign Of Life: 3/5 - Not bad a bad song but not a good song, either.

Review My Kisses: 4/5 - A mysterious song that sucks you in. It compliments LeAnn's vocals perfectly.

No Way Out: 4/5 - Though LeAnn's vocal ability doesn't come alive in this track, it's a catchy tune that isn't that bad.

Love is An Army: 4/5 - A weird song that you'll need to listen to a few times before you really enjoy listening to it.

You Made My Find Myself: 5/5 - Even though it's the album's power ballad, LeAnn's awesome vocal talent isn't even pushed when it comes to hitting the notes and keeping the volume up.

Twisted Angel: 1/5 - A stupid song that should have been left off the album entirely.

well, i'll start this by saying the opposite of what most people have said because it rings true for me: i'm not a pop music fan. so, this journey LeAnn is on i wish her all the luck and YES i will buy her CDs when they are released unless she makes an album of heavy metal or rap garbage...that would be TOO FAR even for me to support! but, this album failed to generate positive support and that caused it's downfall. "Suddenly" was a hit on the AC charts and "Life Goes On" was a hit on both the AC and pop charts, but country fans as a whole {except me} probably stayed away from this CD on purpose and that caused the album to not succeed as the ones in her past have done. TWISTED ANGEL should have been as big as her other CDs but it wasn't...the pictures in the CD mini-booklet aren't anything one can't already see on her web-page so it's not shocking. one picture looks like she doesn't have anything on: it's the first one opposite the "Life Goes On" lyrics. the picture used at the end when she's holding the teddy bear should've been used as the CD's cover! at least there would've been some kind of publicity with THAT one!! favorites songs: "Life Goes On", "Suddenly", "Tic Toc", and "Wound Up". but to re-state what i began with: there are SOME fans of LeAnn's like myself who don't like pop music {i can only stand a few of them} ...so to be fair, consider our opinion too and not downplay our concerns as nothing more than rantings by a bunch of rednecks as i've read elsewhere...if it wasn't for us rednecks wanting to hear her on country radio and therefore allowing her the ability to become famous, she'd just NOW be starting out in the music business since no label in town wanted to sign a "kid" and instead of everyone bashing Mike Curb and his record label, people should be THANKING him for signing her in 1995 when nobody else would, the other record company owners kept saying wait until she's 18 or older. TWISTED ANGEL is better than rated nationally. it gets 4 out of 5 stars from me because of the ballad heavy direction...one song is over 5 minutes long! LeAnn doesn't have a "rock music" voice in the stereotypical sense...at her best she's a country crooner or a soulful AC/R&B artist and she should arrange her songs in those styles with the next CD...but mainstream pop radio/fans don't LIKE that sound {just look at the awful reviews of Clay Aiken some people have written}. so if LeAnn is to be as successful as she's been in the past, she has to play to her strengths and not her weaknesses...and her strengths are country-AC-R&B mixes...her only weakness is depending too much on ballads...but some might like ballad heavy CDs; but, for me, unless the singer is Frank Sinatra, George Jones, or Conway Twitty i'd prefer other artists to sing mid-tempo material on 70% of their albums.

LeAnn Rimes is back on the music scene with an album set to send her full throttle into the world of pop music. Along with the likes of Faith Hill and Shania Twain, LeAnn is claiming admission to the pop industry with a sound that is still rooted in acoustic guitar, buried beneath some beats and synthesizer. "Twisted Angel" is certainly not the pull-all-the-stops, album of the decade sort of recording, but it's still quite good for being such a quick transition from country with pop sounds to pop with country roots.

Life Goes On- My favorite track, the first single. Great message, all around great. 5/5 stars

Wound Up- It has an interesting intro. I think this is her autobiography on the record. 5/5 stars

The Safest Place- A beautiful ode to her husband. 5/5 stars

Trouble With Goodbye- An okay song, VERY much about synthesizer and beats. 4/5 stars....a likely single.

Damn- OUTSTANDING!!! Tied with "Life Goes On" for my favorite track. This is a ballad about struggling with mixed emotions about your romantic interest. Ignore the title; it's a beautiful song. 5/5 stars!!!

Suddenly- Good message. Overall, 4/5 stars.

Tic Toc- Part of the reason for four stars. This song does NOT fit her image; I understand that she's married, but this is a Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears sort of song- the type of thing that doesn't need to be broadcasted. 1/5 stars.

Sign of Life- I love this! A great coming into your own sort of song. 5/5 stars.

Review of my Kisses- Personally not my sort of song, but good all around. 4/5 stars.

No Way Out- A GREAT song about feeling trapped in a relationship. Another awesome possible single. 5/5 stars.

Love is an Army- I don't know how this song made her 13 picks for the album. The lyrics are so sappy and average that I want to puke...but Tic Toc still beats it. 2.5/5 stars

You Made Me Find Myself- A beautiful song about using love as a catalyst to find your own inner strength. 4.5/5 stars.

Twisted Angel- The title track showcases her great voice. Very jazz-infused and original. 5/5 stars.

Overall, a good album, give or take two songs. LeAnn is definitely going in a new direction- and thus an album that is a twisted angel.

Let's get one thing out of the way. Yes, LeAnn did get her first hit and her gateway to stardom with her country song, "Blue." Britney also got her first hit and stardom with her song "...Baby One More Time." Britney changed with the times and her music got a little more...uh...provacative? So when LeAnn decided to go a little more pop and rock on Twisted Angel, why did people insist that she just turned her back on her fans? For people who swear she did this transformation over night - think again. On I Need You, she did drop hints of crossing over more pop with her irresitible ballad "I Need You" and the toe tapping dance craze of "Can't Fight the Moonlight." Twisted Angel is definately an achievement for LeAnn, rather than a setback that she needs to prove herself better on her next album. "Life Goes On" is an irresistible pop number laced with a nice guitar that should have done much better on the charts. As well as her vocal powerhouse ballads "Damn" and "The Safest Place," as well as her easy listening rock pop ballad "Suddenly." Yes, there are some misteps here, like any album. "Tic Toc" was definately a filler and was way too R&B for someone with LeAnn's vocal abilities. Even the sexed up lyrics couldn't savage this forgettable number.

Unfortunately, LeAnn could not emerge herself as a pop artist and had to please the audiences with This Woman, which is giving her great reviews. No matter if it is pop or country, LeAnn is still a great singer and should not be categorized simply because she is expanding her musical tastes. Musical tastes, by the way, which she has helped written and produced. So to all those haters LeAnn, you were great at the pop biz!

First off-don't compare this album in whole to anything else. There is something to be said for an artist who goes in a whole new direction, as Leann did here. This is one of my fave albums of all time because it's MEANINGFUL POP. There are some hints of rock, some hints of R&B, and lots of pop(the Britney-esque "Tic Toc" especially) and it's all sung by one of the most beautiful voices in the industry.

Leann gives us a couple of coming-of-age numbers like the electric guitar laced "Suddenly" and the title track, which is slightly Christina Aguilera-like in it's soulful convictions.

Ballads are plentiful, like "The Safest Place", "Love is an Army", and "Review My Kisses". We all know Leann can belt out a love song, and these are no different.

"Life Goes On", the seemingly-autobiographical "Wound Up", and "No Way Out" are the other strong pop tracks here.

"Trouble With Goodbye" and "Sign of Life" are the weakest tracks here, both in production value that borders on overly-whimsical and lyrics that are forgettable.

Again, if you're looking for a shred of country Leann, don't get this CD. Fans of Britney, Kylie, or other pop acts who might be looking for something a bit more mature and meaningful with less electronic and more guitar and drums should check it out. The bottom line is, this album is a new kind of pop sung by an incredible voice.