Mindy McCready's career was as promising as anyone could dream when she released "Ten Thousand Angels" to country radio in 1996. Fans loved her voice and style, which got a little sassy quickly, but in a good way. A string of Top 10 hits followed (all with BNA Records) — in total, McCready charted over 10 singles from five studio albums.

These are the top songs from a singer who faded away from fame as quickly as she caught fire in the mid-'90s. McCready fought addiction throughout her career, and though her final album I'm Still Here (released in 2010) wasn't nearly the commercial success of the double-platinum debut album from 1996, she seemed committed to a future with her children before taking her own life on Feb. 17, 2013.

  • 1

    "Maybe He'll Notice Her Now"

    From 'Ten Thousand Angels'

    The lowest-charting song of four singles released from Ten Thousand Angels, this '97 duet with Lonestar's Richie McDonald peaked just inside the Top 20. McCready would quickly bounce back with another Top 5 success.

  • 2

    "You'll Never Know"

    From 'If I Don't Stay the Night'

    You'll Never Know was McCready's final hit record, and her only Top 20 single from her second album. The singer's career flamed out as quickly as she caught fire just two years before this song's release in 1998.

  • 3

    "A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)"

    From 'Ten Thousand Angels'

    Ten Thousand Angels went double-platinum after McCready's fourth single became a hit. It was a Top 5 smash for the young singer, and she seemed primed to explode into the new millennium.

  • 4

    'Guys Do It All the Time'

    From 'Ten Thousand Angels'

    McCready is best known for "Ten Thousand Angels," but "Guys Do It ..." is her highest-charting song ever, reach No. 1 in late 1996. The singer played a sassy, confident woman in the video for this smash. Women and men were drawn to her powerful voice and personality.

  • 5

    "Ten Thousand Angels"

    From 'Ten Thousand Angels'

    "Ten Thousand Angels" is Mindy McCready's best-known and longest-lasting hit song. The ballad foreshadows the future, as she talks about needing angels to keep her away from a man who has hurt her. It was a Top 10 song in 1996 and the start of a roller coaster career.

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