ToC Critic’s Pick: Lee Ann Womack, ‘Chances Are’ [Listen]

Lee Ann Womack sings “Chances Are” as if it was written from her own life just days ago. A deeply personal performance of this ballad from The Way I'm Livin' shows scars and vulnerability missing from so many catalogs.

It’s a beautiful country song backed by only the purest instruments and singers. Womack’s lilting voice patiently tells of the reasons she’s considering love once again. Every note is worth the wait.

“Chances are I took the wrong turn / Every time I had a turn to take / And I guess I broke my own heart / Every chance I had a heart to break,” Womack sings to begin “Chances Are,” the new single from her The Way I’m Livin’ album.

There’s no true chorus, just a return to a theme that’s used in different ways. “Oh, it’s safe to say I’ve stumbled / But I’ve managed to make it through this fall / As I take one step and then another / I wonder what my chances are,” she sings as the plot begins to turn. And then finally:

“The band has started playing / A simple song I used to know / And I take your hand and walk you out / Danced through the rhythm way down low.”

It’s easy to get lost in Womack’s storytelling and miss the story, but writer Hayes Carll has penned a lyric any singer would be proud to sing. Fortunately, it fell into the right hands.

Key Lyrics: "Every heart has got a story / Mine just has a few more scars / But they could heal if you will hold me / And tell me what my chances are."

Did You Know?: Lee Ann Womack scored a surprise nomination in the Female Vocalist of the Year category at the 2015 CMA Awards.

Listen to Lee Ann Womack, “Chances Are”

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