LeAnn Rimes - Spitfire (2013)

The single, ‘Borrowed’ is the most obvious place to begin. It is not necessarily more or less honest than the other tracks (who dictates degrees of honesty anyway?) but it is the most revealing and open, and shows a different side to adultery only really tackled elsewhere in Sugarland’s ‘Stay’ and Miranda Lambert’s ‘Greyhound Bound For Nowhere’. It begins her journey of public redemption, one which is continued in the promo release ‘What Have I Done’, pitched as an apology to her now ex-husband, who she hurt and humiliated through the affair. Other emotional tracks include ‘Where I Stood’, the Missy Higgins cover, and is a personal highlight for me as it is one of those rare moments where I actually prefer the cover. ‘A Waste Is A Terrible Thing To Mind’ is a track of interest, as it switches round a well-known phrase, and laments on a wasted relationship. It’s yet another song that is a bit different than your average break-up or heartbreak track, and probably the fact that this is all meant to be so personal contributes to that. You can always tell, and it’s a refreshing break in mainstream country, which at times is guilty of only surface emotion.

The album comes to a close on ‘Who We Really Are’, a beautiful promise of being there for a loved one, and of personal growth through hard times. It’s a great closer, and sums up the difficulties and struggles LeAnn has sung about throughout the record, accompanied mainly by sweet mandolin and including less-than-perfect vocals from LeAnn for a change, raw and live-sounding, highlighting the huge emotional aspect for her. It’s one that everyone can relate to at some point, and she delivers it really well.

Because that’s the key to this album. The emotional connection that at times was missing from LeAnn’s previous releases is here in abundance, and her sheer level of maturity and understanding of the world comes across very prominently. There is no doubt that these past few years would have seen LeAnn do a whole lot of growing up, and this shows. However, ‘Spitfire’ is not as heavy overall as some people would have you believe, and there are plenty of upbeat tracks to get you singing along and dancing. The title track, well-placed as song number 1, is feisty, edgy, and full of attitude. It’s songs like this which, given her previous claim of outright honesty, imply references to Brandi, but who are we to judge? ;) ‘God Takes Care of Your Kind’ is another song that shows LeAnn’s cheeky sense of humor, and takes a step back from a man who she let in and he betrayed her. It’s essentially a song about karma, and includes amusing lines such as “you’re a real big boy but you have a real small, mind my manners and hush, that’s a judgement I won’t touch, cause God takes care of your kind”. Here she could easily have ‘done a Taylor Swift’ and gone all out, but instead she gives a wry smile and remains dignified yet cutting. The level of songwriting on display is immense.

Yet despite LeAnn’s efforts at redemption and venting her anger, she also showcases her renewed happiness in life. ‘Bottle’ is a song about just that, and has some lovely description and analogies. ‘Just A Girl Like You’ is one step behind the former as it implies a new beginning yet seems to be a message to Brandi that recognizes the imperfections in herself and in life, asks for a chance to be accepted in fairness. It’s rather cheerful sonically however, and you’d be forgiven for not realizing the seriousness of the lyrics. ‘I Do Now’ is one of the album’s crowning tracks, and in short tells the story of LeAnn’s past few years, in reference to the country songs that took her through it and how she views them differently now, understanding the heartbreak they involve. It’s a great song to dance to, and a lot of fun, but with a very nuanced and thoughtful message.

Yet despite all of this pensive thinking, ‘Spitfire’ does not shy away from covering the new love that LeAnn has found, albeit through publicly controversial means. ‘Gasoline & Matches’ is an absolute firecracker of a song, really catchy, and tells of the sexual chemistry and connection between two people. I imagine this would be a great song to play live, and would really get the crowd going. There’s also ‘You’ve Ruined Me’, along a similar vein, and is yet another angle on the typical ‘falling in love’ kind of song. Finally ‘You Ain’t Right’ takes a stab at angry feminism with an under-appreciated housewife complaining of her husband’s lack of effort to do anything. It’s not the strongest track on the album and feels a little forced at times, but it’s still pleasant to listen to.

Production-wise on an overall level ‘Spitfire’ is more country-sounding than other country efforts like ‘Family’, but sits firmly in the mainstream, moving between more traditional and poppier sounds, giving a nice variety of what LeAnn is capable of. The typical acoustic and electric guitars with snappy drums are evident all over the record, but there is a surprising amount of mandolin and ukulele, with some steel guitar too. LeAnn’s vocals are flawless and have a new lease of life, seeming to be able to tackle every song with ease.

It’s probably her best album in years, and there is no doubt that the honesty involved has contributed to that. However, at the basis of it, a country album is nothing without some damn good country music, and this delivers time and time again with a variety of song styles and moods. The songwriting involved is powerful, experienced and clever, and combined these elements will have me listening for years to come without getting bored.

Has LeAnn got her mojo back? Most definitely. And I’m going to shout about it until Country Radio starts listening.