Patty Loveless

Patty Loveless has been a household name around music city for almost twenty years. She also is close to having twenty albums released. Patty has always kept her music closer to the traditional side like fellow country artists Vince Gill and Alan Jackson. Release date for this CD is mid September,2003.

A couple of years ago Patty took a drastic turn back to her mountain roots, making an album called "Mountain Soul". This was a very rootsy sounding album with shades of the high lonesome sound and the kind of music you would hear in the hills of Kentucky, from where Patty hails.

On Patty's new album, Patty continues her super traditional down home sound, but has added electric guitar, bass and drums. The music continues to exude the mountain soul type twang sound. No keyboards on this album and few overdubs accentuates Patty's beautiful country voice with twin fiddles, mandolin, acoustic guitars and both pedal and lap steel.

Her husband Emory Gordy Jr. produced this album as he did Mountain Soul. It is a brilliant, creative production. It is really interesting musically, very fully produced, great mix. The instruments do some incredibly creative things, interacting with each other in an uncanny way. Patty's vocals sound better than ever with her Kentucky accent coming on strong. The material ranges from a few mountain music type songs to a lot of very emotive slow ballads which have always been Patty's strength. The most contemporary sounding song is Rodney Crowell's "Lovin' All Night" which is one of the albums handful of upbeat songs and also the album's first single.

This is just great creative traditional country music with lots of great songs. It will be the most country sounding album to come out of Nashville on a major label this year, no pop or new country here. It's just the good stuff with some great country honky tonk music.

Now, to the songs, not a bad track on this CD. I want mention some standout tracks. "Last In A Long Lonesome Line" is a tribute to George Jones. Patty really puts her all into singing this mournful ballad with some great high lonesome harmonies. The pedal steel player on this album is brilliant. "That Ain't The Grandpa That I Know" is an acoustic mountain ballad that is pure beauty and emotion. Patty really lives these songs. The fiddles are incredible.

This reviewers favorite is the title track "On Your Way Home", a ballad. Just some great haunting pedal steel in the background, great melody, but what would you expect when Matraca Berg is one of the songwriters. Interesting interaction between the fiddles and electric guitar. Patty's vocals on this song for some reason take me back to her singing on "When The Fallen Angels Fly", one of her best selling albums.

"I Don't Wanna Be That Strong" is an awesome heart-wrenching ballad with a strong arrangement of music backing it up.

The album starts out cookin' with a Marty Stuart song "Draggin' My Heart Around". This is upbeat old fashioned honky tonk music with some great electric guitar. "I Wanna Believe" is an upbeat country tune with some great fiddle and mandolin. Also some great lap steel and an awesome electric guitar break.

In closing, Patty and Emory have really created something special, a real country treasure. This is Patty Loveless at her very best doing the music she loves best.