It was all strategic. Playing a bigtime media gig at New York City Winery , Monday night, with a bad cold, a hacking cough, a million miles from the high notes, and the media, including Billboard, out in numbers to watch her present her fine 2014 album The Way I’m Livin’, the only way Lee Ann Womack could get through the set without capsizing into fits or losing her voice was through a strategy
“Solitary Drinking”, “I Hope You Dance”, “I’ll Think Of A Reason Later” –three great Lee Ann Womack songs right off the top of my head, though really, just about anything from last year’s The Way I’m Livin’ will do just fine from this wonderful country singer, will be joined by Amanda Shire, who plays a mean fiddle and whose 2013 Down Fell The Doves, is pretty good… not to mention Amanda’s work with her husband Jason Isbell, at City Winery on Monday .
Lee Ann, at 48 years of age, is an old fashioned country singer from a linage that includes Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton, a countrypolitan songwriter who can sell a song and a singer-songwriter who can dig down deep. A must see.
I’ll Think Of A Reason Later – Lee Ann Womack – The most human of songs, Lee Ann despises her exes fiancee based on a pic in the social pages, not really fair but that’s country for you: a story so precisely written it is Chekovian with a handful of words – A
Do we have Lee Ann wrong? I thought she was a sorta country popster and also rans but this terrific Neil Young cover is a revelation, all winding violins and country slide and a purring perfect vocal, especially when she looks up from his big brass bed – A-
Lord I Hope This Day Is Good – Lee Ann Womack – A showstopper at Carnegie Hall on Monday, this is off her 2000 country hit album I Hope You dance and in under three minutes it yearns with faith and hope – A
