I may be seem a bit biased in doing this review on the new Patty Loveless CD, Dreamin' My Dreams, since I grew up just 50 miles from where Loveless was born. After struggling to find her voice in the changing styles of Country Music, Loveless decided to go back to her roots with 2001's Mountain Soul. And with 2003's On Your Way Home she found a comfortable middle ground between bluegrass and contemporary country. With Dreamin' My Dreams she continues to amaze listeners with the pure beauty of her vocals. The album opens with the wonderful "Keep Your Distance" and continues with the haunting "Old Soul," which I consider to be one of the best songs on this album. "When Being Who You Are is Not Enough" features background vocals by the one and only Emmylou Harris. Other notable songs include "Nobody Here By That Name," "Same Kind of Crazy," and a song Loveless and longtime producer/husband Emory Gordy Jr. wrote, "Big Chance" (where she talks about a boy from Shelby Gap, a place near her birthplace in Pike County). The album also features a duet with Dwight Yoakam (who incidentally grew up in the same county as me, not far from Loveless). So, aside from my bias, any Loveless fan or fan of Country Music should take no time in adding this to their collection. Loveless is only getting better with each release. It's a shame when an album like this gets so little attention as the industry focuses on the returns of Trisha Yearwood and Faith Hill when we should be heralding the return of Patty Loveless.
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