Summary
The Way I'm Livin' is the eighth studio album by American country music recording artist Lee Ann Womack. The album was released via Sugar Hill Records on September 23, 2014. Her first album in six years, following 2008's Call Me Crazy, this album sees Womack embrace roots music and americana alongside neotraditional country rather than the country pop sound that was prevalent in several previous releases.
| The Way I'm Livin' | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 23, 2014 | |||
| Genre | Country, Americana, Roots | |||
| Length | 46:20 | |||
| Label | Sugar Hill | |||
| Producer | Chuck Ainlay Frank Liddell Glenn Worf | |||
| Lee Ann Womack chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Way I'm Livin' | ||||
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Production edit
The Way I'm Livin was recorded and mixed by Chuck Ainlay at Sound Stage Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.[2] Additional recording was done by Brandon Schexnayder and Christian Best at Dogtown Studios in Nashville, and Monique Studios in Cork, Ireland.[2] The album was produced by Chuck Ainlay, Glenn Worf and Womack's husband Frank Liddell.
Critical reception and accolades edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 84/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| American Songwriter |  [5] |
| Billboard | [6] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [7] |
| USA Today | [8] |
According to Metacritic, The Way I'm Livin' received a weighted average of 84 out of 100, based on 7 mainstream critic reviews, indicating "Universal Acclaim".[3] In his review for USA Today, Brian Mansfield compares the album, which is "rooted in gospel and hymns", to "Dolly Parton's finest". Mansfield noted, "Her run-ins with the devil may seem uncomfortably specific, but the swelling steel guitars carry her as if on angels' wings."[8]
In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine observes that The Way I'm Livin' "plays like a classic album: it's a record where the sum is greater than the individual parts".[4] Hal Horowitz, in his review in American Songwriter, writes, "The resulting comeback doesn't always click but when it does, the artist can rebound with some of their best work".[5] Horowitz goes on to write, "This is a triumph for country music that's never musty yet still harkens back to a simpler, less glitzy time when emotions drove songs, not simplistic clichés."[5]
In his review in Billboard magazine, Chuck Dauphin writes, "Was it worth the wait or has Womack stayed away from music-making too long? The answer is a very definitive one, as the Texas native reclaims her spot as one of country's most expressive and distinctive vocalists."[6] Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Martin Chilton writes, "She succeeds admirably with The Way I'm Livin', a moving and powerful set of songs, right from the gorgeous opening prelude Fly ... It's great to have Lee Ann Womack back with such a sad and lovely album, which has an eye-catching cover."[7]
Commercial performance edit
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 99 and on the Top Country Albums at No. 18, selling 4,300 copies for the week.[9] As of February 2015, the album has sold 14,600 copies in the US.[10]
Track listing edit
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fly" | Brent Cobb, Reed Foehl | 2:31 |
| 2. | "All His Saints" | Mindy Smith | 3:22 |
| 3. | "Chances Are" | Hayes Carll | 3:41 |
| 4. | "The Way I'm Livin'" | Adam Wright | 3:43 |
| 5. | "Send It on Down" | Chris Knight, David Leone | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Don't Listen to the Wind" | Julie Miller | 4:00 |
| 7. | "Same Kind of Different" | Natalie Hemby, Adam Hood | 2:55 |
| 8. | "Out on the Weekend" | Neil Young | 4:33 |
| 9. | "Nightwind" | Bruce Robison | 3:34 |
| 10. | "Sleeping with the Devil" | Brennen Leigh | 3:18 |
| 11. | "Not Forgotten You" | Robison | 3:19 |
| 12. | "Tomorrow Night in Baltimore" | Kenny Price | 3:23 |
| 13. | "When I Come Around" | Mando Saenz | 3:55 |
| Total length: | 46:20 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Satisfied Mind" | Joe "Red" Hayes, Jack Rhodes | 3:28 |
| 15. | "Cup of Loneliness" | George Jones, Burl Stevens | 2:18 |
Personnel edit
- Music
- Lee Ann Womack – vocals
- Matt Chamberlain – drums
- Duke Levine – electric guitar, acoustic guitar
- Mac McAnally – acoustic guitar, piano, B–3, Rhodes, keyboards, mandocello
- Glenn Worf – bass, upright bass
- Paul Franklin – steel
- Hank Singer – fiddle, mandolin
- Aubrey Haynie – fiddle
- Kenny Greenberg – additional electric guitars
- Mike Rojas – accordion
- Tom Hambridge – bass drum
- Chris Carmichael – strings[2]
- Production
- Frank Liddell – producer
- Chuck Ainlay – producer, recording, mixing
- Glenn Worf – producer
- Brandon Schexnayder – additional recording
- Christian Best – additional recording
- Gavin Lurssen – mastering
- Brittany Hamlin – production coordinator
- John Scarpati – art direction and photography
- Jon Krop – design[2]
Chart performance edit
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Country Albums (OCC)[11] | 5 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 99 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[13] | 18 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] | 22 |
References edit
- ^ "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Country". Radio & Records. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ a b c d The Way I'm Livin' (booklet). Lee Ann Womack. Franklin, TN: Sugar Hill Records. 2014. pp. 2–3. SUG-CD-4107.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Metacritic. "Critic Reviews for The Way I'm Livin'". CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Way I'm Livin' – Lee Ann Womack". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ^ a b c Horowitz, Hal (September 23, 2014). "Lee Ann Womack: The Way I'm Livin'". American Songwriter. ForASong Media, LLC. ISSN 0896-8993. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Dauphin, Chuck (September 23, 2014). "Lee Ann Womack, 'The Way I'm Livin': Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Chilton, Martin (September 17, 2014). "Lee Ann Womack, The Way I'm Living, album review". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Archived from the original on September 17, 2014. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ^ a b Mansfield, Brian (September 23, 2014). "Listen Up: Lee Ann Womack, Leonard Cohen and alt-J". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. ISSN 0734-7456. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
- ^ Matt Bjorke on October 1, 2014 (October 1, 2014). "Country Album Sales Report: October 1, 2014". Roughstock.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) Sales figure give here [1] - ^ Matt Bjorke (February 4, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For February 4, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure give here [2]
- ^ "Official Country Artists Albums Chart Top 20". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "Lee Ann Womack Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Lee Ann Womack Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Lee Ann Womack Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.