I am not going to delve into the trials and tribulations of LeAnn Rimes career and personal life; I will leave that to the tabloids and all the Twitter haters. Besides, something about casting the first stone comes to mind here With Spitfire, you hear and see a woman who has been to the fire and brimstone of hell. However, instead of taking what the devil was dishing out, she fought back and doused those fires of hell with so much water that the devil himself looked like a beaten, drowned rat in surrender. In Spitfire, Ms. Rimes has taken on her "skeletons" head on (you even hear the Merle Haggard reference on one of the tracks) and provided a brutally honest and painful look at life. Her life, you ask? Mayhaps. Who this record is about, in this case, is not of importance. What and how take the lead and are what is important here. Whatever the case, Spitfire is powerful, poignant and personal.
Ms. Rimes is in as fine voice as ever on this record. There are VERY few female artists with the ability to sing like Ms. Rimes. Her voice is strong, colorful and contains the exact technique and emotion required to carry each and every track on this album. For you newer/younger fans of country music, Ms. Rimes is the original Carrie Underwood. No disrespect to anyone; it is simply comparing two of the best and strongest female singing voices to ever come out of Nashville!
Ms. Rimes co-wrote nine of the fourteen songs on the record; call it therapy or whatever you like. The music and production are top-notch and match perfectly with the sometimes stinging, always heartfelt and emotionally powerful lyrics. Writing like this reminds me of the days of a younger Don Henley; not a word is wasted. Nor is a meaningless word included. Ms. Rimes has teamed up with some great talent on this record including Jeff Beck, Rob Thomas, ("Gasoline and Matches" is an explosive combination!) Alison Krauss ("What Have I Done" blends two amazing voices effortlessly and with hauntingly great harmony!) and Lawrence, Kansas native Sarah Buxton ("Who We Really Are" paints a masterpiece of introspection and discovery) to create a very delicate yet profound body of work.
LeAnn Rimes has released her fifteenth studio album with a strong and very emotional record called Spitfire. In it we hear a woman who has found great strength in the troubles she has encountered on her journey through life. I applaud Ms. Rimes for her unwavering dedication to her art, her brutal honesty and the tremendous courage in sharing the stories on this record.
