Spitfire is the thirteenth studio album by American country music singer LeAnn Rimes.
Rimes began working on Spitfire back in 2011 shortly after the release of her cover album, Lady & Gentlemen.
[20] It was released exclusively to US Walmart stores[10][11] and includes a bonus track consisting of a live version of "Borrowed".
[22] The US iTunes Store also released the album by digital download with an exclusive bonus track of a live version of "What Have I Done".
[30] Dan Milliken of Country Universe gave a positive review on "What Have I Done" giving it a grade rating of "A" and stating that it "manages to unfold all this reality gently, each line like a carefully measured breath in a meditation.
[40] In March 2012, Rimes and Brown gave family, friends, music executives and The Boot a live preview of songs from the album in a studio at Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California.
He continued by stating "When she's not collaborating, Rimes demonstrates excellent taste in cover material – she records Missy Higgins' "Where I Stood," kicks up dust on Liz Rose/Chris Stapleton/Morgane Hayes' rockabilly raver "You Ain't Right," and gets down and dirty on Buddy & Julie Miller's "Gasoline and Matches," trading verses with Rob Thomas then letting Jeff Beck run wild—which gives the record dimension if not a singular momentum."
It's not perfect—it's too long, its sequencing is haphazard—and yet all the music on Spitfire resonates, every song suggesting an avenue Rimes could pursue the next time out."
"[43] Daryl Addison of Great American Country praised the album by stating Rimes "delivers a fascinating look at her own hard lessons with one of the year's most honest and revealing releases.
"[47] Billy Dukes of Taste of Country noted how "Spitfire is a fascinating album, and at times one feels like a voyeur listening to it.
It's like breaking into your sister's dresser drawer and finding her diary, but high-quality songwriting keeps it from resembling a childish tabloid.
"[45] At USA Today, Brian Mansfield affirmed that "Rimes has been making records since she was 12 but finds her genuine voice here, at 30, with songs so honest and vulnerable they'll provide her haters fresh ammunition.
"[46] Michael McCall from the Associated Press gave the album three out of three stars and wrote a positive review stating that out of all the albums released throughout Rimes's career that Spitfire "tops them all" and continued by stating "[Rimes] displays a newfound subtlety in her strong voice on several songs, effectively using phrasing and shifts in tone to express complex feelings that sound as if they come from real experience.
"[42] Stephin Unwin of Daily Express rated the album three out of five and commented on "Borrowed" by saying the song is "the best riposte to the question on everybody's lips which is… well, if you don't know about the affair she had with another woman's famous man this will fill you in."
"[44] Alan Light of The New York Times stated "It’s unclear [though] how Spitfire will be received by country music fans.
Having left Nashville for Los Angeles, become fodder for the scandal sheets and recorded an album that doesn’t sound like the glossy hits on country radio, Ms. Rimes is far from a sure thing commercially."