LeAnn Rimes- God’s Work
Label: Thirty Tigers
Producers: LeAnn Rimes, Darrell Brown, Mark Batson, Young Buck, Aloe Blacc
It took LeAnn Rimes nearly a decade for her artistic vision and narrative voice to match the hype and acclaim bestowed up on her once-in-a-lifetime pipes at the tender age of 13. And the fact that she ultimately reached those heights of greatness while still in her early 20s is further testament to her unique gifts. The fact that her blossoming as just as powerful a singer-songwriter as a vocalist coincided with her final few years of chart success has resulted in the rather well-kept secret that her true legacy lies in her post-mainstream projects. And that legacy only grows stronger with the release of her fifteenth full-length, God’s Work. It’s not the full-blown gospel record that its title suggests, but rather a spiritual reflection on the journeys and challenges that our hearts, spirits, and souls experience through the relationships and destinies that we chase in life. It launches in bold fashion with the Bowie-channeling, “Spaceship”, an epic wonder of a song and performance that may very well be Rimes’ most impressive moment on record, ever. It’s a high bar to set for an album, but Rimes matches it with a collection of soul-stirring songs, majestic vocals, and gorgeous production throughout. Her soul-searching takes her through a wide spectrum of sounds and collaborations, ranging from reggae (“The Only” featuring Ziggy Marley, Ledisi and Ben Harper), soulful balladry (“How Much A Heart Can Hold” and “I Do” with Aloe Blacc), stomping Americana (“Something Better’s Coming” and the title track with Robert Randolph, Mickey Guyton, and Tata Vega) and world (“Throw My Arms Around the World” and “The Wild” with Sheila E. and Guyton again). Rimes’ heartfelt sense of humanity, inclusivity, and compassion is the bold thread tying all of these disparate elements together in one, beautiful body of work. You need not be a man or woman of faith to fully appreciate the masterful music LeAnn Rimes has crafted here, which is destined to mark another peak moment in her sprawling catalog.
Track Listing:
- “Spaceship” (LeAnn Rimes, Darrell Brown)
- “The Only” featuring Ben Harper, Ledisi, and Ziggy Marley (Rimes, Brown)
- “Awakening” (Rimes, Brown)
- “How Much A Heart Can Hold” (Rimes, Brown, David Baerwald)
- “Throw My Arms Around the World” (Rimes, Brown)
- “The Wild” featuring Mickey Guyton & Sheila E. (Rimes, Brown)
- “Innocent” (Rimes, Brown)
- “God’s Work” featuring Mickey Guyton, Robert Randolph and Tata Vega (Rimes, Brown, Mark Batson)
- “Something Better’s Coming” (Rimes, Brown)
- “Imagined With Love” (Rimes, Brown)
- “There Will Be A Better Day” (Brown, Beth Neilsen Chapman)
- “I Do” with Aloe Blacc (Blacc, Jon Levine, Sarah Solovay)
The 706 
Leave a comment