Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

No Man's Land

When LeAnn Rimes recalled the songs that made her fall in love with country music, a thought struck her: It was a man’s world. “I realized that almost all of my favorite country songs from back then were sung by men,” the country-pop singer said in the announcement of her latest album. Released less than a month ago, Lady & Gentlemen rewrites a bit of that history. On each track, Rimes riffs on country classics originally sung by men with her usual throaty aplomb. From pushing John Anderson’s “Swingin’” to breakneck speed to revisiting Bill Mack’s “Blue” — the ballad that made her famous at age 13 — it’s clear that where there’s a reason, there’s Rimes.