Two journeys to
the soul
By MARIO TARRADELL / The Dallas Morning News
Patty Loveless and Trisha Yearwood take different routes to arrive at a soulful
country place. Ms. Loveless travels through her Kentucky bluegrass roots, while
Ms. Yearwood takes a detour from her native Georgia and heads to Southern
California back when Linda Ronstadt mixed country, pop and rock.
But on their new CDs, both vocalists effortlessly reach the same destination.
For them, country is more than just steel guitars and fiddles; it's a state of
mind. Ms. Loveless and Ms. Yearwood gracefully interpret songs that speak
intelligently and thoughtfully of universal truths, a country hallmark. Most
important, they are no-gimmicks artists who rely solely on the power of voices
and tunes.
Ms. Loveless' Dreamin' My Dreams, her follow-up to 2003's stunning On My Way
Home, merges the bluegrass instrumentation of 2001's heralded Mountain Soul with
the more contemporary country sound of her late '80s through late '90s
repertoire. In doing just that, she and husband-producer Emory Gordy Jr. chose a
batch of songs that carefully walk the line separating organic from polished.
The CD's best mass-appeal ballads all incorporate an earthy mandolin or the
quiet strum of an acoustic guitar. In particular, Tony Arata's "Nobody Here By
That Name" and "When Being Who You Are is Not Enough," written by Jim Lauderdale
and Leslie Satcher, use the melancholy beauty of the mandolin to enhance the
heartbreaking subject matter. Ms. Loveless' vocals, always achingly honest,
resonate through every word.
Later, "Big Chance," the one track she co-wrote with Mr. Gordy, follows the life
of the main character in Mountain Soul's "Pretty Little Miss," a now 14-year-old
girl contemplating marriage as a way to leave the stifling holler. Naturally,
"Big Chance" is a big bluegrass hoedown, a knee-slapping homage to the genre.
Ms. Yearwood's Jasper County sounds like her tribute to a variety of styles,
from traditional country to rockabilly, R&B to blues. But the shifts are subtle,
all bathed in producer Garth Fundis' seamless sonic melding. Of course, the
strongest unifying element is that soulful voice, an expressive instrument that
gets better with age.
The CD's centerpiece is "Georgia Rain," the first radio hit, a story song about
reminiscing and reflecting. Amid a studio full of real instruments, including a
string section, Ms. Yearwood tells the tale of small town lovers separated by
maturity and distance.
Elsewhere, she's sexy on the R&B-kissed "Sweet Love," dramatic on the bluesy
"Who Invented the Wheel," sassy on the rockabilly "Pistol" and the saloon
country of "It's Alright." At her most melodic, Ms. Yearwood washes her voice
all over the moody country sound that drives "River of You."
She, like Ms. Loveless, connects with the emotional core of each cut, making
sure the delivery conveys the sentiment. That's country soul personified.
A
Jasper County
(MCA Nashville)
In stores Tuesday