LeAnn Rimes - Family

Mature Album But Can Do Better

Family is a very grown-up album from a very accomplished & talented young lady. She shows a maturity here that was lacking on previous albums. The collection itself is not bad with standout tracks being the three collaborations (Nothing Wrong - Mare Broussard, Till We Ain't Strangers - Bon Jovi & When You Love Someone Like That - Reba). There are some duds here but with a 14-track listing and 50% being of decent standard, then it's not bad value for money. Production on this album falls way short of what you would expect from an artist of this calibre and becomes irritating whilst trying to listen to the lyrical content of the songs. Not Bad, but as the school-card says 'MUST DO BETTER'. October 17, 2008

Interesting Set

Leann Rimes is an amazing talent and has established herself as a force to be reckoned with as a country artist with an immense catalogue of work established at a very young age. This cd is a very important stepping stone in her career. She has cowritten many of the songs here and a more mature sound is established.

Some songs work better here than others. Standouts are FAMILY, ONE DAY TOO LONG and WHAT I CANNOT CHANGE. Both bonus tracks, duets with Bon Jovi and Reba McEntire, are also very effective. There is a problem on some songs here though. On NOTHIN BETTER TO DO, FIGHT and DOESN'T EVERYBODY her vocals are strong but her articulation is off and it is difficult to understand the words she is singing. This is apparent more on this cd than previous ones and she must be careful that it doesn't become stronger as she develops into even more of an adult artist.

The cd is not her best but it is certainly very good. And on ONE DAY TOO LONG, already mentioned, she lets loose more than ever before. It is a bluesy, major belting ballad done expertly.

Enjoy. October 11, 2008

She Has An Awsome Voice...

...better in person than the CD.
I love the CD, but we saw Leann in Boise back in June (08) and I thought she was awesome! ..she is!!!
The CD is great, alive, she's awesome!!! September 24, 2008

Artistic and Personal Growth

Family which LeAnn admits is her most personal record to date,clearly shows her continued growth as an artist in general and a songwriter in particular.She wrote(or co-wrote)all of the songs on the cd(which is a first in her career thus far).
The first single off the cd 'Nothin Better To Do' cracked Billboards Top 20 and the video was in heavy rotation on CMT and to a lesser degree on GAC.The song is very original,upbeat and the video perfectly suited the song and is Ms.Rimes best video to date. Some have been critical of the song citing that they cannot make out the words.This is weak.If you can't make out all the words,read them in the cd booklet.I can think of many great songs by many different artists where all the words cannot be clearly discerned. It can perhaps be classified as another vocal style.
LeAnn's live performance of NBTD on the CMT music awards was spectacular.
The best song on the cd(and one of the greatest songs that she has recorded thus far)is 'What I Cannot Change' which has just gone to radio(and is her third single off the record).The vocal performance of WICC is gut wrenching and drenching with emotion and the lyrics are as powerful as the vocal delivery.
One Day Too Long is a classic bluesy song that also is performed with great emotional power and depth. It is just further evidence (and there has been plenty in LeAnn's impressive career)that she can sing any style of music with enourmous skill(as if that was the only type of music that she recorded).There is a good mix of upbeat songs(Family,NBTD,Upper Hand)and slower songs(I Want You With Me,Pretty Things,WICC,When You Love Someone Like That-the duet with Reba).Every song is quality(no filler here).
What I Cannot Change is Grammy worthy and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.
LeAnn just continues to get better with age and 'Family'gives ample evidence of that from start to finish.
It is exciting to anticipate what is yet to come from this creative juggernaut.
August 2, 2008

Outstanding Album

With 2005's "This Woman", LeAnn delivered one of the best albums I've heard, and even though this is a small step down, it is still a true 5 star album, that everyone should buy once they get the chance. Now that LeAnn is writing her own songs, she is delivering more impressing performances than ever before! Her voice sounds better than ever, and man, she has some awesome pipes! A true winner!

Favourites:
"Good Friend & A Glass Of Wine"
-Oh My God! This song is one of my all time favourite numbers by LeAnn! It's rocking, rollicking fun! The fact that this bombed at radio is beyond me.

"Nothin' Better To Do"
-Wow! What a vocal performance" She sounds so great! This is just a classic uptempo country song, and simply an amazing song.

Buy this album along with Trisha's newest release, "Heaven, Heartache And The Power Of Love", and you've got the two greatest releases of 2007. July 3, 2008

More reviews at Amazon.com ...