Faith Hill - Take Me as I Am

Faith Hill's debut established the willowy singer as the lady-in-waiting to Reba Mcentire's throne. Like Mcentire, Hill's voice could crackle just as well as it sparkled, and Take Me As I Am allowed her to do both. The wide-open abandon of the hit single "Wild One" was immediate and undeniable, and Hill delivered the vocal with sassy, youthful exuberance. But she was just as convincing on the low-key heart-tugger "Just About Now" and the Gary Burr-penned ballad "Just Around the Eyes." She figured out a way to channel Janis Joplin's vocal during a country-fried retelling of "Piece of My Heart," in spite of a canned meat-quality backing track, and handled the Larry Steward duet "I've Got This Friend" with ease. Read More