Lee Ann Womack Album: “Greatest Hits”

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

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.

This is a great CD that chronicles Lee Ann Womack's career to this point. It includes familiar favorites like YOU'VE GOT TO TALK TO ME and I HOPE YOU DANCE, but there are also lesser known songs like MENDOCINO COUNTY LINE and THE WRONG GIRL. This CD is a little bit rock/pop and a little bit country and has that 'new' Nashville sound going for it. Would be great for a long time fan or a new one!

One of the better singers, male or female, to emerge from country music in the last decade, Lee Ann Womack's first compilation justifies her steady climb to the frontranks of the genre, even if she did let herself get slightly derailed by the success of the massive "I Hope You Dance". She produced plenty of strong material before that breakthrough, though, represented here by the set's first six tracks, with special mention going to the flat-out stunning "The Fool"(which I still think ranks right next to "..Dance" as her finest moment) and the cleverly biting "I'll Think Of A Reason Later". While there isn't anything quite as thrilling as the stuff from her first two sets, her later, more pop-oriented material had its' moments(the previusly mentioned derailment referring to the highly maligned crossover attempt SOMETHING WORTH LEAVING BEHIND, probably wisely represented here by only the title track). Of the two new tracks, first single "The Wrong Girl" seems to be an attempt to win back some of the goodwill she lost with that last set--granted, it may have fiddles and pedal steel, but in the hands of producer Byron Gallimore is still more on the pop side of "country-pop", ultimately making one long for the days of those first three albums. Minor complaints aside, this is a more than solid collection.

Lee Ann Womack has had something of an erratic career, swinging from stone country to pop crossover and back again. But underneath it all is that unmistakable voice, one of the best interpretive voices in country music. Like all massive hits, "I Hope You Dance" quickly became overplayed--however, the lyrics and performance maintain an exquisite sentimentality, a feeling of hopefulness. It's one of those songs ideal for a high-school graduation. Other big hits here include "A Little Past Little Rock" and "You've Got to Talk to Me", both of which still sound great. "Ashes by Now" is a great cover of the old Rodney Crowell song. An unexpected treat is the Willie Nelson duet, "Mendocino County Line". Their voices merge together pretty well. There are a few underperforming singles like "Buckaroo" which are sadly missing--and, of course, this compilation predates her excellent "There's More Where That Came From" album. Until we get another compilation, this one works well and both the music and the voice speak for themselves.