Family

by LeAnn Rimes

Overview

LeAnn Rimes has embraced genres from bluegrass to dance-pop; on Family, she settles into an easy contemporary country groove. Along for the ride is Marc Broussard, himself a versatile country-soul singer, who duets with Rimes on two tracks. Two bonus tracks pair Rimes with veteran singers: Reba McEntire on "When You Love Someone Like That," and Jon Bon Jovi on "Til We Ain't Strangers Anymore."

Product Details

Release Date:	10/09/2007
Label:	Curb Records
UPC:	0715187899421
catalogNumber:	78994

Tracks

1. Family
2. Nothin' Better to Do
3. Fight
4. Good Friend and a Glass of Wine
5. Something I Can Feel
6. I Want You with Me
7. Doesn't Everybody
8. Nothing Wrong
9. Pretty Things
10. Upper Hand
11. One Day Too Long
12. What I Cannot Change
13. Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore
14. When You Love Someone Like That

Album Credits

Performance Credits

LeAnn Rimes   Primary Artist,Background Vocals
Matt Rollings   Piano,Hammond Organ
Eric Darken   Percussion
John Catchings   Cello
Mark Douthit   Saxophone
Dan Dugmore   Steel Guitar
Paul Franklin   Steel Guitar
Carl Gorodetzky   Violin
Barry Green   Trombone
Kenny Greenberg   Guitar
Mike Haynes   Trumpet
Dann Huff   Acoustic Guitar
Rami Jaffee   Hammond Organ
Charles Judge   Synthesizer,Keyboards
Russ Kunkel   Drums
JayDee Mannes   Pedal Steel Guitar
Stuart Mathis   Guitar,Electric Guitar
Chris McHugh   Drums
Doug Moffet   Baritone Saxophone
Steve Nathan   Piano,Hammond Organ
Pamela Sixfin   Violin
Jimmie Lee Sloas   Bass
Kris Wilkinson   Viola
Jonathan Yudkin   Banjo,Fiddle,Mandola
Tim Akers   Organ,Keyboards,Wurlitzer
Leland Sklar   Bass
Tim Lauer   Organ,Synthesizer,Piano,Accordion,Keyboards,Hammond Organ,Mellotron,farfisa organ,solina,Casio
Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz   Cello
Tom Bukovac   Electric Guitar
Carole Rabinowitz-Neuen   Cello
Joanna Janet   Background Vocals
Michael Thompson   Acoustic Guitar,Electric Guitar

Technical Credits

Reba McEntire   Producer,Duet
Jon Bon Jovi   Composer
Derek Bason   Engineer
Tony Brown   Producer
Terry Christian   Engineer
Richard Dodd   Engineer
Ben Fowler   Engineer
Mark Hagen   Engineer,overdub engineer
Dann Huff   Producer
Charles Judge   Programming,String Arrangements,String Conductor
Michael Omartian   Horn Arrangements
Brett James   Composer
LeAnn Rimes   Composer,Author,Duet
Karyn Rochelle   Composer
Blair Daly   Composer
Mike Butler   Engineer
Marc Broussard   Composer
Troy Verges   Composer

Editorial Reviews

LeAnn Rimes planned to succeed This Woman, her 2005 return to country, with a pop album called Whatever We Wanna in 2006, but as This Woman continued to sell steadily in the U.S., that album wound up seeing the light of day only in Europe. Instead of issuing Whatever We Wanna in America in 2007, Rimes released an entirely different, brand-new album called Family, a record that was closer to country than her 2006 Europop excursion. Of course, this makes it tailor-made for the American market, where she is still seen primarily as a country singer, not a pop star, but Family isn't quite a crass commercial move. Instead, it's her first album of all original material (many co-written with Dean Sheremet, Blair Daly, and Darrell Brown in some combination or another), which makes this a bit of a relative risk, as Rimes has been known as song interpreter, not a songwriter, in the decade she's been recording. Then again, Rimes hasn't exactly been complacent during those ten years: she's recorded everything from classic country to dance-pop, dabbling in adult contemporary crossovers, inspirational music, and even rockabilly along the way. She's learned a lot in those explorations, as evidenced by Family, which may not touch on everything she's done but is surprisingly far-ranging underneath its soft country-pop veneer. There may be just a bit too much of the smooth crossover material here, particularly on the first half of the record, but beneath that gloss there are some sturdy songs, songs that play like a blend of Reba McEntire and early Dixie Chicks. Also, as the album rolls on, Rimes loosens up, first with the sunny party tune "Good Friend and a Glass of Wine," then eventually rolling to the swaggering Marc Broussard duet "Nothin' Wrong," which kicks up some genuine dirt, and then culminating in the slow, soulful crawl of "One Day Too Long." On songs like these, Rimes illustrates her range as a singer along with some true strength as a writer, and they help make Family a canny blend of the commercial and the confessional -- an album that feels heartfelt, yet is as accessible and enjoyable as her best records.

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine

This is the first LeAnn Rimes album for which she wrote or helped write every song, and the music echoes the fearlessness in the lyrics. "Nothin’ Better to Do," her terrific current single (and, so far, a minor country hit) is a brash, bluesy romp; "I Want You With Me," another highlight, gives her a chance to gently belt out a love song.

New York Times - Kelefa Sanneh

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