I don't know how LeAnn Rimes keeps escaping my radar. It seems like after "I Need You", I didn't even hear her at all (no, not even "But I Do Love You" — not ringing any bells at all) until late 2004, when "Nothin' 'bout Love Makes Sense" was sneaking its way up the charts. And while it seemed like she was finally starting to reclaim her place on country radio with the hits off of the Gold-selling This Woman, dud after dud kept coming up. The rock-solid "Some People" and "Nothin' Better to Do" both failed to hit the top 10 while the ultra-chick anthem "Good Friends and a Glass of Wine" failed to hit the Top 30. Everyone seemed to like the next single, the ballad "What I Cannot Change," except me. An interesting and recently Grammy-nominated cover of "Swingin'" that sounded almost nothing like the original was next but it, too, failed to chart. If nothing else, Rimes seems to be anything but a quitter, as she's back yet again with "Crazy Women." 

"Crazy Women" makes itself known right away with crisp, clear, gritty guitar; no tinny compression here. Rimes' voice is as strong and twangy as ever, her enunciation greatly improved from the mush-mouth she was on "Nothin' Better to Do" (my only complaint about that song, mind you). With a sass that's natural, not canned and forced á la Gretchen Wilson, she sings about that unfailingly popular theme of infidelity: he's cheated on her one too many times, and as a result, she's been pushed far enough to light his car on fire. It may be a bit hyperbolic, but when I listen to the line "he cheats and lies and then plays the victim," I can't help but think that maybe he deserved it. What's more, Rimes ties the theme together in the bridge with a simple line: "she might look just like me." 

Besides taking the obvious potshots at Curb Records, I'm at a loss as to why LeAnn Rimes just can't seem to get anything to stick. She's been remarkably consistent over the past several years. With the tumultuous crossover period and tabloid fodder of her personal life now behind her, and an unflagging fanbase supporting her, there is hardly a better time for her to catch a second wind. What's more, she's only 28, so there's plenty of time for a new chapter of her career to begin before radio decides that she's "too old." Plenty of time to finally get that second #1. Plenty of time to remind us yet again just how great she's been all along.