LeAnn was about 11 when these recordings were made, so she was still learning her craft. Even so, this is a fascinating collection that showcases her wonderful voice. Of the songs, there are five oldies, three of which are so well known that it is difficult to imagine that there is any adult in Britain or America who has not heard them countless times.

I will always love you is Dolly Parton's classic song that eventually became Whitney Houston's biggest hit ever. Yesterday is the Beatles song that has been covered more times than any other pop song. Unchained melody was originally a hit for several singers in the fifties, but is perhaps most closely identified with the Righteous brothers. They had a hit with it in the sixties but an even bigger hit in 1990 when it was featured in the Ghost movie soundtrack. Blue moon of Kentucky is less famous than those three, but this Bill Monroe classic has been covered many times, including by Elvis Presley. The oldest song, I wanna be a cowboy's sweetheart, on which LeAnn demonstrates her skills as a yodeller, was a million-seller for Patsy Montana in the thirties.

LeAnn stamps her identity on all those oldies, but also shows her skills on contemporary material, including Share my love, a song she co-wrote. To my ears, this is a wonderful album. Of course, it's not quite up to the standard of her official debut album, but anybody who enjoys that may be surprised at just how good this is.

LeAnn Rimes is capable of better works.

For those who are fortunate to have th "All That" album, then maybe this one isn't good, and certainly for others who don't have "All That", it isn't that good.

LeAnn re-recorded most of the tracks she did for "All That". Her yodelling is good in "I Want to Be A Cowboys Sweetheart", the acapella portion of "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and the song itself is fabulous, the song she wrote "Share My Love" is a great ballad that is fast and catchy. In "Broken Wing", she sings beautifully and that rendition is extremely heartfelt. I didn't like "I Will Always Love You" and "Yesterday". They are classics that she should have left out. They are good songs but they seemed out of place in this album. "Unchained Melody", the Grand Finalé is performed excellently.

This album is a good one, but isn't her best.

After listening to this album, you could tell that it was designed to show off her voice, not the quality of the material. The songs are all remakes anyway. Obviously, she has the strongest and most confident voice in country today. She gladly shows off her versatile vocal ability with "I Will Always Love You" and "Unchained Melody." But aside from that, these songs do not convey emotion, or any type of depth whatsoever. This album is all about showcasing LeAnn's voice. Oh well. I suppose that's why it was released in the first place. By the way, the best song is "Unchained Melody." It's much smoother and more flowing than The Righteous Brothers' (Were they the ones who sang it?) version. It's a wonderful song to listen to over and over, plus you can hear LeAnn reach the hightest note I've ever heard from a country singer. She also shows just how long she can sing before having to pause to take a breath. Wow, what a song.

Considering that Rimes cut her first album at 11, and reached country music stardom at 13, the notion of "early years" is a bit difficult to grasp. Featured on this disc are reworked versions of her first release, recorded just before her major label debut, "Blue," conquered the charts. This prenatal offering showcases a polished amateur with tremendous promise. Rimes voice is powerful, though often uncontrolled, and her phrasing shows a preternatural maturity.

Covers of Patsy Montana's "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart," Bill Monroe's "Blue Moon of Kentucky," and Joyce Harrison's "Sure Thing" benefit from Rimes retro-country singing style. While versions of Dolly Parton's (by way of Whitney Houston's) "I Will Always Love You," the Righteous Brothers' "Unchained Melody," and The Beatles' "Yesterday" find Rimes out of her element stylistically, and out of her depth emotionally.

Perhaps this release was a rushed-to-the-stores cash-in on Rimes' extraordinary popularity, but her fans will find it an interesting peek into the formation of a very young star.

I love this album because it shows LeAnn's growing voice through her singing years. In "Cowboy's Sweetheart" it shows off LeAnn's yodel. She sings "Broken Wing" and "Unchained Melody" beautiful. It was a #1 chart success, and it's a great CD!