Album of the Day

Faith Hill's rise to stardom began at the Nashville music publishing firm where she worked as a secretary; overheard singing to herself one day, she got the chance to record demos for the company. Hill's talent is obvious on her 1993 debut, TAKE ME AS I AM, which brought her an Academy of Country Music Award as Top New Female Vocalist. The collection includes a pair of Country chart-toppers in “Wild One” and a powerful cover of "Piece of My Heart" (plus the No. 2 hit title track); impressive as these upbeat performances are, Faith's voice is just as appealing on the ballads (“But I Will”). Though Hill has achieved crossover mega-stardom in the years since, this triple-Platinum album shows her country roots while remaining very accessible, and is a superb introduction to the singer.