Something Worth Leaving Behind

1	Something Worth Leaving Behind 3:50
2	I Saw Your Light 6:02
3	When You Gonna Run to Me 3:58
4	Talk to Me 5:47
5	Forever Everyday 3:51
6	Orphan Train 4:05
7	I Need You 4:55
8	You Should've Lied 4:44
9	He'll Be Back 2:48
10	Surrender 4:24
11	Blame It on Me 4:06
12	Closing This Memory Down 4:08
13	Something Worth Leaving Behind 4:34

Barnes & Noble

With her blockbuster 2000 album, I Hope You Dance, Lee Ann Womack found her way into millions of hearts. But don't expect a retread on her worthy follow-up -- recorded in Hollywood and Nashville, Something Worth Leaving Behind is the kind of record her success deserves, as it nestles Womack's vocals in lush pop backgrounds. Her subject matter, however, remains familiar. The album's dozen songs are thematically connected by the topic of love -- love as a transfiguring force, love pursued, love denied, love celebrated, labors of love. The title song, which is reprised at the end of the album, states bluntly that being able to love defines a successful life. In the lovely ballad "Forever Everyday" -- the album's most country moment, with delicately picked acoustic guitars, keening pedal steel lines, and discreet fiddle interludes -- Womack recalls the unabridged imagination and unconditional love of childhood, and bemoans its absence in adults. Julie Miller's vaguely medieval "Orphan Train" tells of a place where God awaits with love for all, no matter their status on this mortal coil. On a gorgeous countrypolitan blues number, "He'll Be Back," Womack sings dreamily, and longingly, of a heartbreaker who's bound to return to her "if he's anything like his memory." It would've been a great number for Patsy Cline, and indeed, is co-written by Hank Cochran, who collaborated with Harlan Howard on Cline's immortal "I Fall to Pieces." On a seductive blue-eyed soul number, Womack, à la Shelby Lynne, offers up a sultry come-on to an old flame who needs to come back to the one who loves him. Country fans might wish the same of Womack, but on Something Worth Leaving Behind, Womack uses her country roots as a point of departure, and her journey makes for an impressive display of pop craftsmanship. David McGee

All Music Guide

Lee Ann Womack scored her contemporary country music critical breakthrough with I Hope You Dance in 2000. Almost universally acclaimed, it showcased the singer's exceptionally wide range. While her platinum-selling self-titled debut made the critics take notice -- as usual in this genre, only underscoring what country music programmers, DJs, and listeners already knew -- and her sophomore issue, Some Things I Know, multiplied her fan base, I Hope You Dance was cited as a "career album," meaning that it wouldn't get much better. The pundits were wrong. Something Worth Leaving Behind cemented Womack's place in the country music pantheon by pushing her own boundaries as an artist further than ever before. Her seemingly effortless cruise through honky tonk, country-pop ballads, and searing midtempo "message" numbers serves her well on this wildly adventurous collection of songs. Stepping into the producer's chair for the first time -- along with longtime producers Mark Wright and Frank Liddell and newcomers Matt Serletic and Mike McCarthy -- Womack fills the album with some off-center, nearly alt-country cuts by Bruce Robison (the gorgeous ballad "Blame It on Me") and a pair by the now reclusive Julie Miller (the poignant "Orphan Train" and rollicking funky gospel tune "I Need You"), who also sings backup on the set. Added to this are tracks by mainstream successes Monty Powell ("When You Gonna Run to Me"), Gretchen Peters (the stellar and anthemic "I Saw Your Light"), and Brett Beavers (two versions of the title track) -- who accounted for the singles here. But it isn't just the mix of tunes. It's the performers themselves. Producer and guitar ace Kenny Greenberg handled the arrangements; former Joe Ely and John Mellencamp guitar slinger David Grissom is here and also contributed a tune; another former Mellencamp ace turned country session musician Kenny Aronoff mans the drum kit; and Greg Leisz, master of lap steel, pedal steel, and Dobro (or anything with strings called a guitar) is here as well -- as are many others. Womack nailed it on Something Worth Leaving Behind. It may not have sold quite as well as her previous offerings, but record biz folks were happy just the same, and it achieved an even higher level of acclaim than any of her preceding records, eking out a place in the CD collections of fans of rock, pop, and even adult alternative music in the process. Finally, more than any of her previous recordings, Something Worth Leaving Behind gave her the confidence and authority necessary to record her masterpiece, 2005's There's More Where That Came From. Thom Jurek