Country music needs Lee Ann Womack.
Ok…maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I love hearing Lee Ann Womack on country radio. The last year went by without a single new song from Lee Ann on country radio. It was lonely out there without her traditional country.
Lee Ann has been busy in that time. She’s been out on a big tour over the last few months. The show concludes soon and I’m not really sure what Lee Ann is doing after that.
It should be an interesting 2011 for Lee Ann Womack. Based on her recent history of releasing new music and going on my own hunch I think her fans will be treated to something special by the end of the year.
Let’s take a closer look at what 2011 may hold for country’s traditional queen.
Lee Ann Womack 2011
Things have been mostly quiet from Lee Ann over the past two years. The last we heard from the country queen was the single There Is A God
It seems though like 2011 could be a bit different. At least I hope so.
Touring
Over the last few months and running through April Lee Ann has been out on tour with two of country’s biggest superstars – George Strait and Reba McEntire. In fact, the trio just sold out 13,000 seats in two hours. That’s a huge accomplishment for any artist and might be expected from George and Reba, but don’t discount Lee Ann’s ability to pull in the country fans.
The tour ends in April and there are no more dates on any schedule I can find for Lee Ann. My hunch is she’s taking some time from touring the normal circuit this summer to record a new album, but I could be wrong there. Sometimes artists hold off on releasing tour dates until later, but I’m not so sure that’s the case for Lee Ann in 2011.
Coming off a tour with stars like George and Reba calls for some rest. That’s a big tour and some time off for Lee Ann would be completely understandable. Maybe she’ll have some surprise shows later on this year.
ACM Awards
Perhaps the biggest surprise – at least for me – was Lee Ann’s ACM nomination. It surprises me Lee Ann could get a nomination without a major hit in 2010. Her last single did peak last spring, but only at #32. Martina McBride and Gretchen Wilson had top twenty hits. There were a couple others as well.
I’m certainly not saying Lee Ann isn’t deserving. I love her music and think she deserves to win. It just wasn’t a big year for her. I suppose I should take into account the tour with George and Reba. That’s big time entertainer and Lee Ann is right there with Reba for top female vocalist.
We’ll see how things shake out at the awards. My bet is on Miranda Lambert.
New Single
My personal hunch is we’ll see a new single from Lee Ann sometime around mid-summer. I’m thinking there may be a potential album in the works for fall release.
Once Lee Ann gets off the road in April I’m thinking she’ll take some time off to relax and rejuvenate. After that I could see her spending time in the studio recording. That would put things on pace for a new single mid-summer. It would give her and her label enough time to get the song up the charts to peak in the fall just in time for a holiday selling season album release.
This is all speculation, but I’m going on a hunch it might happen something like that.
New Album
If a single comes out this summer I think it puts Lee Ann in position for a new album late fall sometime around October or November. Going on history – and that’s not always a good indicator – this would be three years since Lee Ann’s last album. Before that it was three years from her last album. She could make it another three years in 2011 with another record.
The last couple albums for Lee Ann have been successful from the critics. Her 2005 set had a few hits and won numerous awards. Her 2008 album was well received by traditional country fans and was critically acclaimed as well.
I can only imagine more great things from a new Lee Ann Womack album in 2011.
Summary
It seems like it will be a wait and see game with Lee Ann Womack in 2011.
She’ll be finishing up the big tour with George Strait and Reba McEntire soon. From there it seems like recording a new album would make sense. A single may come out in the summer followed by the record in the fall. We will see on that prediction.
It’s not that Lee Ann hasn’t been busy the past few years. She’s had a few singles out. She’s obviously been out on the big tour. She’s been giving her time to good causes. She’s also been busy being a mom and wife. That’s no small task.
It should be a good year for Lee Ann in 2011. I’m hoping for a big bang in the fall with music.
We’ll have to wait and see.
