Lee Ann Womack’s Big Week Arrives

Lee Ann Womack Gears Up For A BIG Week
Wall Street Journal To 1st Listen The Way I’m Livin’ 9/17
Tapes CMT “Crossroads” with John Legend 9/17 for 9/26 Debut
USA Weekend 9/14; NPR “World Café” 9/17 + AMA Showcases 9/19 + 21

It may have been seven years since Lee Ann Womack put out a record, but she’s – as The Wall Street Journal noted when they debuted “The Way I’m Livin’” earlier this summer – “making up for lost time.” Having world premiered a provocative video that’s attracted much conversation on CMT – with a sneak peek at RollingStone.com – the new week is picking up momentum at a staggering pace.

Wednesday, September 17, The Wall Street Journal will again take the lead in bringing the Grammy-winner’s decidedly hardcore music to the pubic, streaming The Way I’m Livin’ in its entirety. Produced by Frank Liddell (Miranda Lambert, Chris Knight, Pistol Annies), the roots writer collection takes life at its most unvarnished and splintered – attracting those who lament the passage of the ‘tough stuff’ from the genre.

“The response is a little amazing,” Womack says. “Frank and I made a record of the songs we love… with players who really went deep to match my singing, the emotions I wanted…and we didn’t think about radio or marketing or anything. We just did this move us. You can’t second guess other people, but it sure feels good knowing other people share our hunger for this music too, because it’s definitely grown up country.”
Featured in this Sunday’s USA Weekend addressing the process and risks of TWIL, Womack proves music exists beyond neat boxes and convenient tags. She tapes CMT’s “Crossroads” with urban sensation John Legend on September 17, a collaboration that appeals to the 6-time Country Music Association Award winner. (The show will premiere on CMT on September 26.)

“John Legend comes from a deep place,” she says. “He’s a great musician and vocalist… Kanye West enlists him for that musicality – and whether it’s straight soul or hip-hop, John brings great melody and emotion. As someone who knows how soulful country can be, this is gonna get interesting.”
Womack’s ability to straddle and blur lines has made her a go-to for Willie Nelson, Rodney Crowell, Alan Jackson and Buddy Miller. As the Americana Festival & Conference kicks off, the East Texan is featured on NPR’s “World Café” Americana coverage September 17. She performs at the Cannery Ballroom September 19 on a bill with Miller, Sam Outlaw (with Ry Cooder) and Trigger Hippie, as well as an “Americana’s Most Wanted” guitar pull that afternoon for SiriusXM with Hayes Carll, Bobby Bare, Jr and Bobby Braddock. She will also be a guest for the “Rock My Soul” PBS special taping on gospel quartets featuring the McCrary Sisters and the Fairfield Four that September 21.

“This is everything music is: heart, soul, life, pain and the power to express beyond just words. Good music comes from the same root – and this is a chance to prove it with actions over words! I’m fired up, grateful and ready to get the music out.”