The Way I'm Livin'
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The Way I'm Livin' is the seventh studio album by American country music recording artist Lee Ann Womack. The album was released via Sugar Hill Records on September 23, 2014.
Production
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]
Critical reception and accolades
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 89/100[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 an weighted average of 89 out of 100, based on 4 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]
| Year | Association | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | British Country Music Association | International Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2015 | Americana Music Association | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2015 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2016 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Solo Performance - "Chances Are" | Pending |
| 2016 | Grammy Awards | Best Country Song - "Chances Are" | Pending |
Commercial performance
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
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Prelude: 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
- 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
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[11] | 99 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[12] | 18 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 22 |
References
- ^ "R&R :: Going For Adds :: Country". Radio & Records. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
{{cite web}}: line feed character in|title=at position 25 (help) - ^ 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.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ 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. Telegraph Media Group. ISSN 0307-1235. 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 - ^ Matt Bjorke (February 4, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For February 4, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure give here
- ^ "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.