Lee Ann Womack’s new album, Call Me Crazy, will hit stores October 21, 2008. Featuring the debut single, “Last Call,” the album includes 12 songs and was produced by George Strait’s producer, Tony Brown.
From the opening strains of “Last Call,” Crazy’s debut single, it’s apparent this is music lovingly created by an artist who is reveling in what she was born to do. The song about an alcohol-induced bar stool phone call that may end up being not only the last call but the last straw is quintessential Lee Ann. It’s a reminder of all the great performances that came before – “I May Hate Myself In The Morning,” “The Fool” and “I Hope You Dance” to name a few – and an enticing promise of what’s to come. It says simply, “This is Lee Ann Womack. This is country music.”
Built on a role reversal of sorts, “Solitary Thinkin’” also features an unanswered phone call from a bar after last call. But this one is from a woman trying to get through her problems—and her blues—with the aid of a double barrel whiskey. “Being such a fan of real country music, I do love the imagery of a smoky bar,” admits Lee Ann. “Now I’m not gonna go sit in a bar by myself, but there have been times, after everybody’s gone to bed, I’ll just sit here at the bar in the kitchen, have a cocktail and listen to my George Jones stuff, and I love it.”
And the Possum would be proud of the way Lee Ann digs down deep to tap into the resignation-filled “Either Way”—Baby you can go or you can stay/I won’t love you either way—a song that finds a couple still putting on the public façade of happiness while sleeping in separate rooms and only communicating when it’s time to pay the bills. No feeling, just numbness. Pure country.
Lee Ann Womack : Call Me Crazy track listing:
1. Last Call
2. Either Way
3. Solitary Thinkin’
4. New Again
5. I Found It In You
6. Have You Seen That Girl
7. The Bees
8. I Think I Know
9. If These Walls Could Talk
10. Everything But Quits
11. The King Of Broken Hearts
12. The Story Of My Life
Lee Ann Womack : Call Me Crazy cut by cut:
“LAST CALL”
(Erin Enderlin/Shane McAnally)
I love Erin Enderlin. She’s a great writer and singer and I’m always excited to hear her stuff when a CD comes across my desk. Brian Wright (V.P., A&R) chose this one for me. He brought it to a meeting Tony (Brown, Producer) had scheduled for the three of us to listen to songs. Initially we put it in the ‘keep’ pile. Usually, when you’re in the studio, you end up getting down to the last song of the day and it might still be a toss up between two or three. That’s where we were with ‘Last Call.’ Stephanie (Wright, A&R) happened to be in the lounge at the studio when we had time for one more song. So I walked in there and said, ‘How serious is Brian about this song?’ She said, ‘Very’ so we cut it. Things I love about this song: Johnny Walker Red, listening to a country song, imagery of a smoky bar, the fact that there’s nothing cute or funny about it. Everything I miss hearing on country radio.
“EITHER WAY”
(Chris Stapleton/Kendall Marvel/Tim James)
Some songs tease you, making you wonder, ‘Is it really over? Will she take him back?’ This song says, unequivocally, it is over.
“SOLITARY THINKIN’”
(Waylon Payne)
Waylon Payne is a true songwriter. He follows no formula. I don’t think he’s even aware of anything like that. I’ve never heard one song he’s written that sounded like he sat down for a 10 AM writing session with a room full of co-writers, a cup of coffee and clever idea. There have been many times over the last 10 or so years when I longed to be able to sit in a bar alone, unnoticed, and listen to the jukebox and do some solitary thinking and lonesome drinking. Even when I can’t, this song takes me there.
“NEW AGAIN”
(Lee Ann Womack/Dale Dodson/Casey Beathard)
I’m fascinated by people who can fix things. I’d rather see an old house fixed up than torn down and I think it’s so cool that some people have the kind of spirit to make something old new again. It takes a special person. That’s what this song is about on many different levels.
“I FOUND IT IN YOU”
(Brian Nash/Michael T. Post/Whitney Duncan)
This song made me think of Frank (Liddell, husband) when I heard the lyric. So many things that I see people looking for I’ve found in him so I was a sucker for this one.
“HAVE YOU SEEN THAT GIRL”
(Lee Ann Womack/Dale Dodson/Dean Dillon)
Self-explanatory.
“THE BEES”
(Natalie Hemby/Daniel Tashian)
I heard this song once and couldn’t get it out of my head. Natalie’s an up-and-coming songwriter who I’m a big fan of and I want her music to be heard. ‘The Bees’ is a great song that’s not a conventional ‘hit,’ which is why I think if it were a hit, it would be huge.
“I THINK I KNOW”
(Tom Shapiro/Mark Nesler/Tony Martin)
I hesitated to cut this song because I’m the first one to bitch about people casually throwing the name Johnny Cash around. But the line ‘Even with success, there’s a sad loneliness’ just kept haunting me. Some of the loneliest moments of my life were when I was supposedly the most successful. Besides, Tony (Brown) said he thought I’d earned the right.
“IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK”
(Lee Ann Womack/Dale Dodson)
At home one day I read this over-used cliché and immediately my sarcastic and jaded mind thought, ‘Now if these walls could talk they’d pray.’
“EVERYTHING BUT QUITS” (DUET WITH GEORGE STRAIT)
(Lee Ann Womack/Dale Dodson/Dean Dillon)
Dale had brought this idea up to me several times and I always wanted to write it. I’m glad we wrote it as a duet. I’m proud of both of the songs I’ve gotten to record with George (the previous being “Good News, Bad News”). His voice is so smooth, rich and easy going; it’s a lot of fun to write something you think he’d sing. Of course nobody knows that better than Dean Dillon. I had a blast doing the demo with Dean too.
“THE KING OF BROKEN HEARTS”
(Jim Lauderdale)
I’ve loved this song since I first heard it on George’s (Strait) Pure Country record. In Texas it’s sort of an anthem and people there are always surprised to hear that it wasn’t even a single. I did NOT want to cut it though because it’s kind of one of those untouchables, but Tony (Brown) really wanted to cut it again and I knew I’d have a great time doing it, so long as I didn’t get lynched for it.
“THE STORY OF MY LIFE”
(Hillary Lindsey/Brett James/Angelo)
This song was played for me when we were getting ready to make the follow up to I Hope You Dance. I didn’t want to be accused of trying to repeat that, so as much as I loved the song, I let it go. I’ve kept the demo around all this time, hoping I’d get another chance to cut it after enough time had passed. I’m glad I waited…lyrically it actually means more to me n
ow than it did then.
source: MCA Nashville
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