Womack finally returns to action

Womack's last studio disc was "Call Me Crazy" in 2008, her seventh studio album. In April 2012, Womack announced plans to release "The Way I'm Living," but by August 2012, she split with MCA Nashville.

"When I was looking for the right home for this record," Womack said, "I knew I wanted a label where passion for music and artistic integrity drive the decision-making, the people who bring the music to the fans. Beyond the incredible work Sugar Hill has done with Nickel Creek, Sarah Jarosz and Bryan Sutton, they have a broader way of looking at where music can go and why it matters - and for this very personal record, it seemed like the perfect fit."

"I have always loved country music with my entire being," saidWomack, "and I think the gift of a genre that's built on real life is that there is always room for great songs, and the truth. When we started this record, Frank and I promised each other we would only cut songs that we absolutely loved for no reason other than we loved them very much. No other factors, and I think that freedom really inspired us."

Frank Liddell - known for his work with Chris Knight, Pistol Annies, David Nail and also Womack's husband - produced. Beyond winning the Country Music Association's Album of the Year award in 2010 for Miranda Lambert's "Revolution," his work earned Lambert the Academy of Country Music Award's Album of the Year for three consecutive recordings: "Revolution," "Crazy Ex Girlfriend" and "Four The Record."

"Lee Ann and I always thought one day we'd work together," Liddell said, "but we wanted it to be right, be something we could both bring the best of ourselves, too. My wife is one of the greatest country singers ever, but she's also a vocalist who brings things out of songs you never realized were there. It's unusual for the musicians to not just want, but to shape their performances to the vocalist during tracking, but for this project... That's just what some of the best players in the world did."

Cliff O'Sullivan, Sugar Hill's General Manager and Senior Vice President, said, "We're thrilled to have Lee Ann join Sugar Hill and the Welk Music Group. She has delivered a stunning album, and we can't wait for people to hear it. Lee Ann turns an important artistic corner with this project, and we're delighted to be a part of her next chapter. Where Lee Ann wants to go musically matches up perfectly with our goals as a label."

Womack has enjoyed many hits, including "I Hope You Dancel" and "Mendocino County Line" with Willie Nelson.

Working with a core band that included a rhythm section of Matt Chamberlin on drums and Glen Worf, guitarist Duke Levine, acoustic guitarist/pianist Mac McAnally and steel player Paul Frankin, the project was recorded live on the floor with minimal overdubs.

Womack, a Texas native, has had seven songs make the top 10 in her career. But her last one was "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" from 2004.