LeAnne Rimes gives songs a "lady" twist

With all of the talk of LeAnn Rimes' private life going public, it's finally time to turn the attention to what first made her famous; her remarkable voice.  Rimes' newest album, "Lady & Gentlemen," released September 27, features a variety of covers written and performed by men.  Odd tactic, to say the least, but I must say I'm a definite fan of her twist with the title. 

"Lady & Gentlemen" jumps right into a peppy remake of John Anderson's number one single "Swingin" which was originally released in 1983.  With Anderson intending for this song to have a swing-like vibe, Rimes was able to produce a soulful sound with an edgy tune. 

The attitude and poise continues in Rimes' interpretation of the Waylon Jennings classic, "Daddy That'll Walk the Line," which is titled "Only Mama That'll Walk the Line" on the album.  Rimes changes up the lyrics a bit to fit the fact that the song is being sung by a female performer. 

Other than "Only Mama That'll Walk the Line," the rest of the recordings stay true to their true initial recordings.  The high energy of the album turns to a soft a rendition of Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make it Through the Night."  With Kristofferson's hit focusing on the lyrical content, Rimes focused on her powerful voice being the tool to send the message of the song through piano-based instrumentation. 

Other songs on the album include Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson's "Good Hearted Woman," Merle Haggard's "The Bottle Let Me Down," and George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today."  Most popular on the album is Tennessee Ernie Ford's "16 Tons," a coal-mining song in which Rimes sings with a smoky, jazz-influenced tone.  The song features a wild horn section and acoustic bass but it is truly Rimes' vocals that make it so catchy.

Going against the whole "men" theme, Rimes added two of her songs on the album, one being her first hit from her debut album, "Blue."  Having sung the song originally when she was a mere teenager, Rimes included this song on the album to pay a tribute to the man that started her career, Bill Mack.  What a generous way to wrap up the album.