Dreamin' My Dreams (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Butch Lee (guitar); Biff Watson, Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar); Albert Lee (electric guitar); Lee Roy Parnell (slide guitar); Russ Pahl (steel guitar); Rob Ickes (dobro); Stuart Duncan (mandolin, fiddle); Deanie Richardson (fiddle); Emory Gordy (bass guitar); Owen Hale (drums); Emmylou Harris, Harry Stinson, Kathy Burdick, Virgie Lee (background vocals).

Patty Loveless breaks the Nash Vegas mold. She's living proof that talent -- God-given and well-tended -- is enough to keep listeners' attention over the years. Loveless worked hard to get where she is by consistently offering solid records, full of fine material and passionate, true performances. Dreamin' My Dreams is no exception, in fact;, it may be a crowning achievement in a career full of them. Produced by husband Emory Gordy and Justin Niebank, the set features 12 tracks by writers as diverse as Richard Thompson (the stunning, rocking opener "Keep Your Distance"), Steve Earle (a fine reading of "My Old Friend the Blues"), Allen Reynolds (the wonderful title track), Delaney Bramlett ("Never Ending Song of Love" with Dwight Yoakam as a duet partner), and Gordy (who wrote "Big Chance" with Loveless and "When I Reach the Place I'm Going" with Joe Henry), just to mention a few. Players include guitar slinger Albert Lee and fiddle ace Stuart Duncan. This is an adventurous outing for the likes of Music City. But Loveless has a track record that demands she get to take chances. Her voice (which gets better with age) never strays from the heart and soul of country music's grand tradition. The ballads here (such as "Nobody Here by That Name" or "When Being Who You Are Is Not Enough," by Jim Lauderdale and Leslie Satcher) are otherworldly; the rockers, such as Delbert McClinton's "Same Kind of Crazy" and Thompson's tune, strut, swagger, and dig deep into the basics of love and loss. Ultimately, the sheer range of sounds, emotions, and the integrity of Loveless' voice make Dreamin' My Dreams a candidate for country album of the year. ~ Thom Jurek

Unlike many of her peers, country singer Patty Loveless has always kept her music in a fairly traditional vein. When the stylistic pendulum swung from pop/rock leanings in the 1990s to a more rootsy sound in the 2000s, Loveless was already comfortably situated in the latter territory, a fact that 2005's DREAMIN' MY DREAMS confirms. Whether careening through upbeat numbers ("Never Ending Song of Love") or easing into sensitive ballads ("On the Verge of Tears"), Loveless's full-bodied voice is masterfully showcased here against a backdrop of mandolins, banjos, and fiddles. Featuring songs penned by Steve Earle and Jim Lauderdale, and guest appearances by Emmylou Harris and Dwight Yoakam, DREAMIN' is easily one of Loveless's finest albums. minimize