Blue

What could a 13 year-old possibly show the Nashville music establishment? Plenty, if she were LeAnn Rimes. The Jackson, Mississippi girl with the impossibly grown-up voice silenced doubters in the country music world with her 1996 debut album Blue. The title track provided her breakthrough — originally written for Patsy Cline, it was the perfect vehicle for Rimes’ soaring, throb-tinged singing style. Her innate taste and self-control tempered her raw vocal power and turned what could’ve been a mere nostalgia trip into a contemporary cry from the heart. Rimes fills heartache-laden tunes like “Hurt Me” and “I’ll Get Even With You” with a wisdom beyond her years. Upbeat tracks like “The Light In Your Eyes” and “One Way Ticket (Because I Can)” offer an outlet for her natural high spirits. Eddie Arnold duets with Rimes on “Cattle Call” and “Fade To Blue,” adding his elder statesman’s seal of approval. Over the next decade, Rimes would build a substantial career upon her initial success. But time hasn’t dimmed Blue’s appeal — it still ranks among LeAnn’s best.