The Trouble with the Truth

Epic released her eighth studio album in 1996. The lead single was You Can Feel Bad, a Matraca Berg co-write that became her fourth number one. A Thousand Times a Day, which George Jones had recorded in 1993, stopped at number 13. Lonely Too Long became her fifth and final number one, She Drew a Broken Heart reached the top ten, and the title track reached the top 20. The album also included a cover of Richard Thompson's Tear Stained Letter.

She described its theme as seeing things as they are, not how you wish they would be. The Academy of Country Music and the Country Music Association both nominated it for Album of the Year, and it was nominated for the 1997 Grammy for Best Country Album. By 1998 it was certified platinum. The singer Lauren Lucas later called the album a huge influence on her.