Rather than dwell on the sad news of her untimely passing, we thought we'd take a look at the music of Mindy McCready for our latest 10 Best feature. Mindy was - at the time of her debut - positioned as the younger, sexier and blonder alternative to Shania Twain and it may have contributed most to the singer's quick rise and fall on the charts, with each of her three Top 10 singles coming from her lone platinum album, Ten Thousand Angels.
10: "Wrong Again" (track from I'm Still Here)
Listening to the soft, melancholic ballad now, after the untimely passing of Mindy McCready, showcases all that was beautiful about her voice. It was warm, rich and inviting, especially when singing about a set of lyrics that certainly rang true to her life.
9: You'll Never Know (track from If I Don't Stay The Night)
An album track that was also on songwriter Kim Richey's self-titled debut from 1995, Mindy's take on "You'll Never Know" was also the last Top 20 and Top 40 hit of her career. There are times when the track gets bogged down in late 1990s production but Mindy's vocal and the strong lyrics from Richey and Angelo Petraglia more than make up for that.
8. "Scream" (track from Mindy McCready)
The best track on an otherwise overproduced album, "Scream" served as an early promo single from the record in 2000 - a good 2 years before the album came out - and while not a radio hit of any measure, it still is a strong vocal performance from Mindy and a very good set of lyrics from Helen Darling and Jenai (Darling is one of the co-writers of our #10 track "Wrong Again").
7. "Without Love" (Track from Ten Thousand Angels)
Written by two of Nashville's best songwriters of the day - Tim Johnson and Skip Ewing - "Without Love" is one of the 'deep' tracks from Ten Thousand Angels. it's an uptempo story song about the power of love and what love means to a successful marriage, even through the ups and downs of one.
6. "I'm Not So Tough" - (Track from I'm Not So Tough)
This is a song sung with the vulnerability and rawness that Mindy McCready lived in her everyday life. The fact that it didn't get released as a single is surprising as it's clearly the best track on the record - strong enough to be the title track.
5. "Guys Do It All The Time" (Track From Ten Thousand Angels)
The lone #1 hit of her career, "Guys Do It All The Time" came out the same time Shania Twain was rockin' the GRRL power anthems so it's no surprise that she had such a big hit out of this track. It's loud, proud, and in your face and a "redneck woman" song a good seven years before Gretchen Wilson took a similar theme to the penthouse at Country radio.
4. Let's Talk About Love (Track From Platinum & Gold Collection)
This. Is. Country. Music. "Let's Talk About Love" is track that was released to radio in 1998 but only appeared on her 'hits' album released by BNA. The song talks about the power and there's a line here "it's a shame it takes a tragedy to see the beauty in life," and "oh the power to change life with just one touch, lets talk about love," it's a poignant song song made even more poignant today, the day after the tragic end to Mindy McCready's life.
3. "A Girl's Gotta Do (What A Girl's Gotta Do) (Track from Ten Thousand Angels)
This was the second-biggest hit of Mindy's Country Radio chart career and it has the kind of melodic feel to it that recalls all that was great about 1990s country music. The song has an engaging melody, an engaging vocal and and just overall, it's a pleasing tune.
2. "I'm Still Here" (Track from I'm Still Here)
Poignant, and now bittersweet, "I'm Still Here" was by far the standout song from her 2010 album of the same name. In fact, this is a song is basically her life in a four minute story song. Sadly, the chapter never had quite the happy ending and triumph that "I'm Still Here" suggested at the time of its release.
1. "Ten Thousand Angels" (Track from Ten Thousand Angels)
Her first ever radio single still ranks as the best song in her career. It may not have been the #1 success that "Guys Do It All The Time," but it still was a wonderful introduction to the talent that was Mindy McCready. The song is a mid-tempo ballad that recalls some of Suzy Bogguss' best work from around the same timeframe and features a strong set of lyrics from Steven Dale Jones and Billy Henderson. Mindy's passionate vocal serves the ballad well and hopefully she's up there with those Ten Thousand Angels in heaven now watching over her family.
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