Summary

Remnants is the first album LeAnn Rimes recorded for RCA, and the switch from her longtime home of Curb Records provides the singer an opportunity to redefine herself. So enticing is that opportunity that Rimes winds up trying on every persona she can imagine, a move that means Remnants can seem overstuffed and incoherent but rarely boring. Although this opens up with a dramatic reading of "The Story," a song written by Americana stalwart Brandi Carlile, Rimes isn't refashioning herself as a roots singer by any means. Remnants is the work of a self-styled diva, one who currently is borrowing some moves from Carrie Underwood and Shania Twain. Sometimes, Rimes will flirt with a bit of old-fashioned drama -- "Do It Wrong with Me" is a gospel-inflected showstopper -- but she spends just as much time with deliberate ballads and spangly contemporary soul, something that is a specialty of co-producer Mark Batson. Occasionally, Rimes ties these two sides together, as on the terrific moody groover "Love Line," but usually she keeps her styles separated because that makes it easier to showcase her versatility. Her flexibility impresses but it also means that Rimes doesn't conjure a specific identity on Remnants: she may be able to sing just about anything but the album would've been stronger if it had a greater connective thread than sheer skill. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine