Leann Rimes Nothin Better To Do

Rimes' show in Webster is summer hot

WEBSTER  —  There was one thing hotter than the scorching heat at the Indian Ranch yesterday and that was LeAnn Rimes.

What a difference a half-a-lifetime makes. When Rimes made her Indian Ranch debut, she was a mere 14 years old and already a bona fide superstar. Now, Rimes is 28 (or as she puts it “14 months from being 30”) and, my, how she has grown; grown as a singer, a performer and a woman.

Rimes always had the voice. She wasn't pegged as the second coming of Patsy Cline for nothing. But, as she proved in her hour-and-25-minute, 17-song set (which included a one-song encore), Rimes is very much a singular talent who isn't hiding in anybody's shadow.

The former “Star Search” contestant turned country sensation has sold 37-million-plus records and has scored 13 Top 10 country hits. Yesterday, Rimes gave the audience a taste of “Lady & Gentlemen,” her new album (slated for a Sept. 27 release), on which she reinterprets classic country songs written by men and only sung by men (that is, until now). From the sound of it, Rimes is going to increase sales and chart numbers.

Coming out in a peach-colored blouse and dungaree cut-off shorts, the bronzed, dirty-blond-haired beauty (who was wearing her hair up in a bun) looked like a sexy beach bum, not a seasoned performer. Anyone thinking of (or hoping for) the former quickly realized as soon as she effortlessly unleashed her blessed pipes that Rimes was merely dressed for the weather and as professional as they come.

With an infectious smile that filled the intimate open arena, and an intoxicating stage presence that made you momentarily forget about the heat, Rimes opened the show with a cover of Kris Kristofferson's “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” which was marked by her ageless, timeless voice caressing the heartfelt lyrics.

Clapping her hands and swaying her svelte body to the music, Rimes did the crowd right with the playful, female empowerment ditty “You Ain't Right,” which came with a strategically placed, male-ego-deflating use of a cuss word (which she apologized for beforehand), which the female members of the audience ate up.

Rimes, who expresses honky-tonk heartbreak with the best of them, affectionately crooned “Probably,” which was made more powerful when she unleashed her blessed pipes with no musical accompaniments.

How David McClister shot LeAnn Rimes (in a music video ...

David McClister: I actually came to photography in a different way. I think each photographer-director usually gets into directing after being a photographer first. I was actually a director first, then a photographer. My background originally was learning to shoot and light for motion pictures.

I started shooting stills because there were a lot of artists I wanted to work with who couldn’t afford to do music videos, but we had a lot of ideas we wanted to go out and do. I picked up a still camera, and we started trying to do some of those ideas we discussed. I was like, “This is great!” I discovered how much fun and liberating still photography could be. I love the spontaneity of it – to be able to go back and forth with artists, sharing and executing ideas. With music videos, you get to do that on a pre-production side, but on the set – although you can to an extent – you’re much more limited, obviously, than you are on a still shoot, where you can really just let the inspiration go and follow it. With a music video, you have a set schedule, and the spontaneity is much more limited.

JA: Looking at your website, I have to ask if there is there a country music artist you haven’t worked with? [laughs]

DM: I’ve never gotten to shoot Merle Haggard; I’ve always wanted to photograph him, as far as the icons and legends. And Keith Urban – I haven’t gotten a chance to work with Keith. I’d love to be able to work with him at some point. But yeah, I’ve been very fortunate.

JA: Do you usually seek out clients? Or do they come to you?

DM: I’ve been very lucky in that it seems a lot of the artists I’ve wanted to work with have just, in a way, fallen into my lap either though a record label, management, or a publication.

JA: Your work often deals with country artists. Do you specifically try to work within that genre? I’m sure you get offers from people of other genres.

DM: No, I love all music. I listen to everything. I think it’s more just because I’m based out of Nashville. Because I’m here, I get asked to do a lot more country than pop and rock.

But you know, Nashville is changing a lot. There’s always been a lot of diversity here. But I think there’s even more now, in the last few years. People have really taken notice about that diversity. Artists like Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, and Taylor Swift are crossing over and having huge success – not only in country, but also on the pop charts. I think it’s definitely opened people’s eyes to what all is going on here [in Nashville]. In that respect, we have Jack White, who’s here now with Third Man Records. A lot of artists are moving here. I photographed The Black Keys a few weeks ago; they had just moved here. You’re seeing all these great artists outside of the country market living and recording here now.