Wow, I need toothpicks for my eyes this morning! #allergiessuck
LEANN RIMES ON E!'S “FASHION POLICE” THIS FRIDAY, AUGUST 2 AT 10PM ONLY ON E! @e_FashionPolice @leannrimes @Joan_Rivers
LeAnn Rimes Cibrian LeAnn Rimes shares 'Spitfire' stories before Spiedie Fest concert
Country star performs Saturday in Binghamton
Country star LeAnn Rimes performs Saturday at the Spiedie Fest & Balloon Rally in Binghamton. / Photo provided
In the past few years, ever since her 2009 romance with actor Eddie Cibrian ended both of their marriages, country star LeAnn Rimes’ personal life has played out under the glare of the tabloid spotlight. Intimate details have been revealed on celebrity gossip websites, fights with Cibrian’s ex have played out on reality TV, and folks in the Twitter-verse have endlessly debated who’s right and who’s wrong.
On her new album “Spitfire” (released in June), Rimes finally got the chance to tell her side of the story – raw, unfiltered and unflinching.
“For me to put everything about my life and my feelings and all these emotions I’ve gone through in the last four and a half years into my music is appropriate and the right way for it to come out,” the 30-year-old singer said in an interview last week.
“It’s funny – people think they know my personal life, but the picture that people have painted is so 180 (degrees) from what it really is. … If anybody wants to get to know me — what I’ve gone through, what my intentions are, things that as a real human being I’ve felt, not as a tabloid target — it would be to listen to this record for sure.”
The gloves come off right from the sassy title track that leads off the album’s 13 tunes: “If I were to untie my tongue / I could use it like a whip and watch you run / I could show you how it's done / We could have a little fun / Better bring your big guns.”
But in more reflective moments, such as “I Do Now,” she harkens back to listening to Hank Williams’ “Your Cheatin’ Heart” as a youngster: “Well, I didn't know what those cheating songs meant / Back when my friends and I were singing 'em out loud / Yeah, I didn't know what they meant back then / But I do now.”
And in “What Have I Done,” she shares deep regrets about wronging ex-husband Dean Sheremet and wishes him the best: “I hope you find someone new / Someone who's worthy of you / Oh when you look back and I know you will / I hope you find a little good in me still.”
Rimes said that, in many ways, sharing such intimate thoughts in her new songs (written with “Spitfire” co-producer Darrell Brown) is better than talking about them.
“If I could sing my life, it would be amazing!” she said. “Sometimes it’s easier for me, because I’ve been singing since I was a baby, to get out and say what I need to say when I sing it. It’s sometimes harder to communicate it when I’m speaking. Thank God for the gift of music, for sure.”
Rimes’ precociously powerful voice – reminiscent of country legend Patsy Cline - first garnered attention at age 13 with the 1996 release of her
multiplatinum major-label debut, “Blue.” The following year, she became the youngest person to win Grammys, for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for the album’s eponymous title track.
One problem with becoming a star so young, of course, is that some listeners may find it hard to see her as an adult now. It’s a struggle she feels she’s finally overcome — aided in a strange way by the recent tabloid attention.
“That’s not really a battle as much anymore as it used to be,” she said. “People have gotten over that, but it’s taken a long time.”
Since “Blue,” Rimes has released 10 further albums exploring various permutations of country, pop and adult contemporary. On her last effort, 2011’s “Lady and Gentlemen,” the singer returned to her classic country roots with songs from male songwriters such as Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson, Freddy Fender, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
On the rocking “Spitfire” track “Gasoline and Matches” — originally a Buddy and Julie Miller tune — Rimes recruited two high-profile collaborators: She creates sparks by trading vocals with Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty, and guitar god Jeff Beck adds blistering solos.
“Rob and I have been trying to work together for 10 years, whether it would be writing or recording a song together. He’s a sweetheart of a guy and he fell in love with the song,” Rimes said. “Actually, I said, ‘I want you to do a duet with me,’ and he said yes. I’m going, ‘You have to hear the song first!’ and he’s like, ‘No, I’ll just do it — I trust you!’ When he heard the song, he said, ‘This is awesome — I thought it was going to be a ballad.’ I’m like, ‘Nope!’ …
“Jeff Beck and I worked together on a Barbra Streisand tribute at the Grammys a couple of years ago, so after that we always vowed to work together again and it worked out perfectly for that song.”
Although Rimes has done some acting over the years — her latest was a guest-starring role opposite Charlie Sheen on the FX sitcom “Anger Management” — she is focused on touring behind the release of “Spitfire,” which will bring her to the Spiedie Fest & Balloon Rally in Binghamton at 5 p.m. Saturday.
Later this year, Rimes will embark upon her first tour of Asia — but she already has a following there waiting for her.
“In Taiwan, which we’re going to, they have LeAnn Rimes Day. I don’t even know what that means!” she said with a laugh. “I remember
giving a satellite tour with some fans over there at
3 o’clock in the morning when I was in Nashville a long time ago, and they had all of these girls
who were singing every word to every one of my songs, but they couldn’t speak English once they stopped singing. I always found that so interesting and mind-blowing — it still doesn’t really register.”
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