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The pinnacle of any artists' career is to be able to have the creative freedom to make whatever music they want. Patty Loveless has reached that point in her career. Her new album, "Mountain Soul," is definitely a labor of love and it is evident in every one of the 14 tracks contained on this disc.
Loveless was given the green light to make an album of mountain roots, blues and soul music by her record label, Epic, a division of Sony Music. Her voice has always held a hint of that soulful quality which comes from her childhood years of singing mountain blues music with her brother, Roger. Now, she has been able to cut it loose and sing the music of her heart and soul. With a great mix of new and old music, Loveless has certainly shown us her 'mountain soul.' Every song has a bluegrass flavor with a heavy dose of mandolin, dobro, banjo and fiddle. It's truly refreshing to hear such a rich sounding album. The instrumentals are a perfect blend with Loveless' emotional vocals. Patty and her producer husband, Emory Gordy, Jr. have created a loving tribute to her parents, John and Naomie Ramey. Patty's father passed away in 1979 after a long bout with the plague of many coal miners, black lung disease. From the Mine Safety and Health Administration: Black lung is a job-related disease caused by continued exposure to excessive amounts of respirable coal mine dust. This dust becomes imbedded in the lungs causing them to harden, making breathing very difficult. Silicosis is another job-related lung disease included in black lung. Miners develop silicosis when they are overexposed to dust containing silica. Respirable particals of silica embed in the lungs causing scar tissue to form, reducing the lung's ability to extract oxygen from the air.Patty was born in Elkhorn City, Kentucky and spent her early years in Pikeville, Kentucky where her father worked in the local coal mine. John Ramey developed the black lung disease and moved his family to Louisville, Kentucky where he could receive medical care. Patty's love of music was already rooted in the mountains of Kentucky. She was having a hard time adjusting to city life, so her father gave her a guitar when she was 11 years old. Thus, providing Patty with the necessary escape as a child where her musical love developed into the talent which she shares with us today. Patty expresses how this music affects her and what this album means to her personally. "I felt like I was connecting to my father's heart. Even though he's gone on, he lives through me and his other kids. Music has always been a connection for me -- and this record is a direct line to where I'm from, who I am, totally what I'm about right out to wherever he is. For me, this record takes me back to those moments of sharing time with my Dad, and that longing to have an intimacy with him again. In a way, this puts us back in the kitchen again." The recent success of the movie soundtrack, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?," shows that country music fans are ready for true roots music. While radio is still not ready to relinquish the pop flavored music that monopolizes the airwaves, fans have spoken out. "O Brother" has spent 11 (9 consecutive) weeks at number one on the Billboard album charts and has been certified Platinum 3 times. All of this success has been achieved without radio support. This is a good omen for "Mountain Soul" which debuted on the chart at number 24. Time will tell if radio will support this project, but the fans and critics are still raving that this is one of the best albums EVER to be released. While realists don't hold their breath that we'll be hearing this music on mainstream radio in the near future, we are truly blessed that artists like Patty Loveless are creating music that floats from their soul to ours. Patty Loveless was born to make this music...more than one critic has stated this fact. Listen to this album and you, too, will be a believer. Thank you, Patty, for providing us with this fantastic album and we hope you will continue to share your 'mountain soul' with us on many more projects in the future. |
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1. The Boys Are Back In Town, Written by Don Humphries, Pat Enright, Stuart Duncan  1989Patty starts the album off with a fun, rousing song about men coming back home after an extended absence from home to make a living for their families. Many families experienced difficult times during the depression and endured these long absences of their husbands, fathers and sons. This song captures the celebratory mood upon their return home. |
| 2. The Richest Fool Alive, Written by Kostas, Bobby Boyd, Don Mealer 2001 With echoes of the classic Porter & Dolly hit If Teardrops Were Pennies, Patty delivers a possible classic of her own with The Richest Fool Alive. Her powerfully emotional vocals make you feel her heartache when she realizes that she's been made a fool by the man she loves. |
| 3. Daniel Prayed, Written by Ralph Stanley 1983 One of several gospel songs on this album, Ricky Skaggs lends his vocals and mandolin skills to the performance. Fun and uplifting, you'll enjoy Patty's rendition of this Ralph Stanley tune. |
| 4. Someone I Used To Know, Written by Jack Clement 1962 This duet with Jon Randall was originally recorded by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton in April 1969 for RCA and peaked at Number 5 in 1970. Porter and Dolly's recording can be found on the 1970 album titled "Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca." |
| 5. Out Of Control Raging Fire, Written by Kostas, Melba Montgomery 1990 The first of two duets with Travis Tritt, Out Of Control Raging Fire allows Patty and Travis to showcase how well their voices blend together. |
| 6. Rise Up Lazerus, Written by Emory Gordy Jr., Patty Loveless 2001 Patty and Emory have written a winner here, complementing the other gospel song, Daniel Prayed, with its upbeat tempo and rousing chorus. |
| 7. Cheap Whiskey, Written by Emory Gordy Jr. 1989 Penned by Patty's husband, this song first appeared on Martina McBride's 1992 debut album The Time Has Come. Patty brings the desolate feelings of the song to the forefront with her rare vocal capabilites. |
| 8. Pretty Little Miss, Written by Emory Gordy Jr., Patty Loveless 2001 A cute song about a twelve year old girl getting her heart broken for the first time when her beau runs off with her older sister. |
| 9. I Know You're Married (But I Love You Still), Written by Don Reno, Mark MaGaha 1956 This duet with Travis Tritt is a remake of the original Reno and Smiley bluegrass classic. Patty and Travis truly give this song new life. |
| 10. Sorrowful Angels, Written by Leslie Satcher, Tommy Conners 2001 Leslie Satcher's work has been making appearances on several quality albums lately. She's provided Patty with a great new song full of feeling and heartache. |
| 11. Soul Of Constant Sorrow, Written by Emory Gordy Jr., Patty Loveless 2001 This is a re-written version of the old-time classic most recently made popular by Dan Taminsky and the Soggy Bottom Boys on the 2001 movie soundtrack O Brother, Where Art Thou? |
| 12. You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive, Written by Darrell Scott A haunting tale of life in the coal mining town of "Harlan" describing working in the mines as life spent "digging coal from the bottom of your grave." Patty admittedly feels that this is her father's story and she connects with him everytime she sings this song. |
| 13. Two Coats, Arranged by Emory Gordy Jr., Patty Loveless A classic gospel hymn which Patty does a great justice by recording on this fabulous album. One of the best songs on here. |
| 14. Sounds Of Loneliness, Written by Patty Ramey 1972 Patty wrote this song as a young girl and played it for Porter Wagoner in his office at RCA when she was only 14 years old, ultimately earning herself a publishing contract with Sure-Fire Music. Patty also reveals that this was John Ramey's favorite song because it gave father and daughter the connection that took them back to the mountains of Kentucky which they both missed so much. |
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July 2001 - Sherry Anderson - Take Country Back
