God's Work (stylized in all lowercase) is the fifteenth studio album by American country-pop singer LeAnn Rimes, released on September 16, 2022. The album marks her first of original music in six years since the release of Remnants in 2016. Rimes co-wrote all but two of the tracks.
| God's Work | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 16, 2022 | |||
| Recorded | 2020–2022 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 48:38 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer | ||||
| LeAnn Rimes chronology | ||||
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| Singles from god's work | ||||
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Singles from the album include, in order of release, "Throw My Arms Around the World", "I Do", "How Much a Heart Can Hold", "Spaceship", and "Innocent". "Throw My Arms Around the World" was also included as a Dave Audé remix version on the physical edition of the album.
Background and promotion
Background
The album title and tracks is featured in all lowercase. Rimes stated the reason for this is "If we're arguing about why the 'g' is or isn't capitalized, we're missing the whole point. It's so important for us to focus on the messages, rather than the nuances."[3][4]
Promotion
"The Only" was released as a promotional single on May 20, 2022.[5] On July 15, 2022, Rimes released "The Wild" as another promotional single.[6] On August 18, 2022, "Awakening" was released as the final promotional single.[7]
Singles
Five singles have been released to promote the album, the first in 2020, "Throw My Arms Around the World",[8][9] "I Do" in 2021[10][11] and "How Much a Heart Can Hold"[4] and "Spaceship"[12] in 2022. On September 1, 2023, “Innocent” was released as the fifth single from the album.[13]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| American Songwriter | [2] |
The album received three-and-a-half star reviews from both AllMusic and American Songwriter. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that "The dramatic air is heartfelt and striking, albeit a little monochromatic: it's an album delivered in grayscale, the sober execution suiting the probing songs but sounding slightly stifling over the course of 12 tracks",[1] while Alli Patton of American Songwriter wrote "Overall, the album is involved. From the opening track, god's work begins a journey of reflection and introspection, albeit slow, at times, but meditative all the same. For those willing to take that journey, god’s work will not disappoint."[2]
Track listing
All tracks are written by LeAnn Rimes and Darrell Brown, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Spaceship" | 4:07 | |
| 2. | "The Only" (featuring Ben Harper, Ledisi, and Ziggy Marley) | 4:05 | |
| 3. | "Awakening" | 4:14 | |
| 4. | "How Much a Heart Can Hold" | David Baerwald, Brown, Rimes | 3:25 |
| 5. | "Throw My Arms Around the World" | 5:18 | |
| 6. | "The Wild" (featuring Mickey Guyton and Sheila E.) | 4:13 | |
| 7. | "Innocent" | 3:48 | |
| 8. | "God's Work" (featuring Mickey Guyton, Robert Randolph, and Tata Vega) | Mark Batson, Brown, Rimes | 5:04 |
| 9. | "Something Better's Coming" | 4:38 | |
| 10. | "Imagined with Love" | 2:32 | |
| 11. | "There Will Be a Better Day" | Brown, Beth Neilsen Chapman | 4:00 |
| 12. | "I Do" (duet with Aloe Blacc) | Blacc, Jon Levine, Sarah Solovay | 3:10 |
| Total length: | 48:38 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Throw My Arms Around the World" (Dave Audé remix) | 3:59 |
| Total length: | 52:37 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Innocent" (featuring Orchid Quartet) | 3:31 |
| 14. | "Imagined with Love" (featuring San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir & New York City Gay Men's Chorus) | 2:31 |
| 15. | "Spaceship" (Dave Audé Extended Remix) | 5:49 |
| 16. | "Throw My Arms Around the World" (Dave Audé Extended Remix) | 5:50 |
| 17. | "Spaceship" (Dave Audé Astral Plane Remix) | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 70:42 | |
Notes
- All track titles are stylized in all lowercase.
Personnel
- Mark Batson – co-produced "God's Work"
- Aloe Blacc – co-produced "I Do"
- Lynne Earls – recording
- Nico Bolas – recording
- Alisse Laymac – Pro Tools engineer
- Chandler Harrod – Pro Tools engineer
- Alisse Laymac – additional recording
- Eric Liljestrand – additional recording
- Mychael Gabriel – additional recording
- Ray Donghwan – additional recording
- Ruadrhi Cushnan – mixed tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
- Elise Mollé – assistant mixing
- Emily Lazar – mixed tracks 1 and 6
- Chris Allgood – mixed tracks 1 and 6
- Jay Marcovitz – mixed track 4
- Emily Lazar – mastering
- Chris Allgood – mastering
- Cindy Peters – production coordinator
- Norma Seeff – photography and cover designer
- Hannah Maldon – art director and booklet designer
- Trevor Lawrence Jr. – drums and percussion
- Stefan Lessard – bass
- Taku Hirana – percussion
- Mark Batson – B3
- Waddy Wachtel – guitars
- Dean Parks – guitars
- Ilya Toshinsky – guitars
- Greg Hagan – guitars
- Robert Randolph – pedal steel on "God's Work" and "Throw My Arms Around the World"
- Ben Harper – guitars and vocals on "The Only"
- Ziggy Marley – guest vocals on "The Only"
- Ledisi – guest vocals on "The Only"
- Sheila E. – guest drums and percussion on "The Wild"
- Mickey Guyton – guest vocals and background vocals on "God's Work" and "The Wild"
- Tara Vega – guest vocals on "The Wild"
- Jennifer Condos – bass on "Awakening" and "How Much a Heart Can Hold"
- Hadas Kleinman – cello on "How Much a Heart Can Hold"
- Josh Luxe – additional acoustic guitars on "Awakening"
- Mara – additional percussion on "Throw My Arms Around the World"
- Darrell Brown – piano and keys
- LeAnn Rimes – vocals, piano on "There Will Be a Better Day", additional background vocals on "God's Work" and "Throw My Arms Around the World"
- Tiffany Palmer – additional background vocals on "God's Work" and "Throw My Arms Around the World"
- Denise Green – additional background vocals on "God's Work" and "Throw My Arms Around the World"
- Chris Walden – string arranger
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | September 16, 2022 | Standard | EverLe | [14][15][16] | |
| November 10, 2023 |
| Resurrected | [17] |