''Trouble in Mind'' is an

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

album by American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

artist

Lee Ann Womack Lee Ann Womack Liddell (; born August 19, 1966) is an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 ...

. The album was released on April 18, 2015, via

Sugar Hill Records (bluegrass label) Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hill ...

and was produced by

Frank Liddell Frank Liddell (born November 13, 1963) is an American record producer. A former artists and repertoire director at Decca Records, he founded Carnival Music in 1999. Liddell is also married to singer Lee Ann Womack, for whom he has produced. Oth ...

. It was released exclusively as a limited edition

vinyl record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

and contained three new tracks. ''Trouble in Mind'' was made to be unlike Womack's previous releases because it featured limited musical production. The record only included Womack's voice and a guitarist as the primary instruments.

Background and content

Womack and her spouse/producer

discussed the intention to record an album with limited background production. The pair decided on choosing "handpicked compositions" and one musician for the album. American

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

Richard Bennett was chosen as the record's session player. Bennett used "vintage" guitars for the recording process. The album was recorded in Liddell and Womack's personal studio. Hannahlee Allers of ''The Boot'' music blog called the album a "less is more approach", which followed a similar style to that of Womack's 2014 studio album ''

The Way I'm Livin' ''The Way I'm Livin is the eighth studio album by American country music recording artist Lee Ann Womack. The album was released via Sugar Hill Records on September 23, 2014. Her first album in six years, following 2008's ''Call Me Crazy'', this al ...

''. In an interview with ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Womack spoke about her reasons for the project,

"I love the idea of mixing things up, but stripping them back...When you make things that basic, you can hear all the commonalities between, say, Lightnin' Hopkins and Ralph Stanley. When you make those connections, that's when it gets interesting."

Three tracks were chosen for the release of ''Trouble in Mind''. The

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may al ...

is a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object th ...

that has been recorded by various musical artists. The second track, "Where Have All the Average People Gone", was first made commercially successful by

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...

. Music journalist and critic Stephen L. Betts called the song a "gem" that was "unearthed" for the album's preparation. The third and final track, "I've Just Seen the Rock of Ages", was notably recorded by

Ralph Stanley Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...

in a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

- bluegrass format.

Critical reception and release

''Trouble in Mind'' has mainly received positive responses from music critics and journalists. Stephen L. Betts of ''Rolling Stone'' commented, "For an artist who is so deeply rooted in traditional country music that the cover of her 2005 album, There's More Where That Came From, was designed to resemble a classic country LP, doing something unique to celebrate next month's upcoming Record Store Day isn't surprising." Jessica Nicholson of the trade publication series ''

MusicRow ''MusicRow'' is a Nashville music industry trade publication which has been providing reviews, breaking news, and in-depth coverage for 40 years. The publication delivers online content in addition to six annual print magazines including its InCha ...

'' praised Womack's musical choices, stating, "Trouble In Mind is just the latest in a string of interesting collaborations Womack has taken part in during recent months. She co-hosted the International Bluegrass Music Awards with bluegrass stalwart Jerry Douglas, participated in a CMT Crossroads taping with John Legend, recorded with Ralph Stanley, and more." The extended play was released on

Record Store Day Record Store Day is an annual event inaugurated in 2007 and held on one Saturday (typically the third) every April and every Black Friday in November to "celebrate the culture of the independently owned record store". The day brings together fa ...

on April 18, 2015. It was issued only as a 12 inch vinyl record on Womack's label,

Sugar Hill Records Sugar Hill Records is an American bluegrass and Americana record label. It was founded in Durham, North Carolina in 1978 by Barry Poss and David Freeman, the owner of County Records and Rebel Records. Poss acquired full control of Sugar Hil ...

. It was available for a limited time period at selected record stores.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

* Engineered and mastered at the Suma Recording Studio *

Chuck Ainlay Chuck Ainlay is an American record producer and audio engineer. He has worked with Mark Knopfler on much of Knopfler's solo work, in addition to some Dire Straits material. He has 4 Grammy Awards and 5 nominations. Along with Knopfler and Bob Ludw ...

– mastering * Richard Bennett –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Paul Hamann –

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

* Jonathan Krop – art direction, graphics *

–

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

* John Scarpati – photography *

–

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

Release history

References

External links

Trouble in Mind
at

Rate Your Music Rate Your Music (often abbreviated to RYM) is an online collaborative database of music releases and films. Users can catalog items from their personal collection, review them, and assign ratings in a five-star rating system. The site also fea ...

* {{Lee Ann Womack 2015 EPs Lee Ann Womack EPs Albums produced by Frank Liddell Sugar Hill Records albums