"A lot of people were shocked that I was working with Byron," Womack said. "But to me, the mark of the great producers is that they make the artist's album, not their album. It's not the producer's sound; it's the artist's sound. Byron was the perfect choice because I knew he would do what I wanted him to do."
During the recording sessions, Womack and Gallimore had many discussions about Country Music classics. "I would bring Byron albums that I loved," Womack recalled. "I would say, 'Let me tell you why I like the way Buck Owens and Don Rich sound together here.' I'd tell him why I like the harmonies on a particular song, or why I like the bass on a Ricky Skaggs album. Then Byron would say, 'Well, here's how they achieved that then, and with today's technology, here's how we can achieve it on your album.' I think Byron is so talented, and he's such a great listener."
Gallimore has certainly proven that he has the Midas touch, but his philosophy as a producer is to let the artist guide the way.
"It's not a situation where you want to take the artist off of the path that he or she wants to go,'' Gallimore explained. "My job is to assist the artist. Lee Ann had tons of suggestions throughout the recording of this album. So we worked together as a team, and I think that's what it takes. At the end of the project, it's about both of us being happy, but it's really about her being proud of the album that she has in her hand - and not feeling like there's any little piece in any song that she would like to change. We carried it to that degree.''
Womack is promoting the album by participating in one of the summer's biggest tours, performing in the middle slot on a bill with superstar Toby Keith and newcomer Shooter Jennings.
Womack is now an industry veteran, but she is still breaking new ground. MCA Nashville recently issued her Greatest Hits collection in the new DualDisc format, with audio tracks on the CD side and music videos on the DVD side. Womack is one of the first Country artists to have a product available in this format.