Twenty Greatest Albums of the CU Era: Lee Ann Womack, There’s More Where That Came From

Lee Ann Womack

There’s More Where That Came From

2005

As noted in the introduction, only two of our twenty best albums from the last twenty years produced singles that appear on our companion list. The first of those is There’s More Where That Came From, and the CMA agreed with us, awarding it Album of the Year and acknowledging “I May Hate Myself in the Morning” as the Single of the Year.

The CMA won’t get it right for most of these 20 years, so we have to celebrate moments of lucidity while we can. Part of the reason that both a single album were so undeniable for recognition is how perfectly intertwined they are. “I May Hate Myself in the Morning” is both the center and the foundation of There’s More Where That Came From, using its own classic country themes and sounds as an entry point for a very modern exploration of womanhood in the 21st century.

Womack subverts the album’s traditional sounds with a collection of songs that focus on her agency. She’s the one who picks up the phone for the late night booty call. She’s the one drowning in guilt on the title track as she lies in bed next to her husband, stewing over her cheating ways while she eagerly awaiting her next opportunity to break her marriage vows.

The album moves well beyond the typical situations found in a honky tonk album. On “Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago,” breaking your marriage vows is a necessity for your own personal growth. On “He Oughta Know That By Now,” a modern retelling of “Satin Sheets” omits the request to be set free. She belongs to no one and can leave without permission.

The album’s most interesting moments come from wrestling with her own mortality and spirituality. On the haunting “The Last Time,” showing off for her friends at the county fair robs her of the chance to show someone how much she loves them when they die shortly thereafter. With “Stubborn (Psalm 151),” Womack wrestles with her faith and doubt being tightly intertwined, praying that the mustard seed takes root.

Womack had made some excellent music before There’s More Where That Came From, but it was her first truly cohesive album, ultimately preparing her for the Americana albums artist she’d emerge as in the coming years.

Additional Essential Albums from Lee Ann Womack in the CU era:

• The Way I’m Livin’ brings an Americana sensibility to Womack’s traditional country sound
• The Lonely, Lonesome & Gone incorporates elements of blues and jazz on an album best heard after midnight

Country Universe: A 20th Anniversary Retrospective

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