Patty Loveless

Strong Heart

Another good LP, but not as deep as the last one

Review Score:

(8/10)
Loveless and her husband/producer Emory Gordy Jr. have turned out another likeable album, but given that it's been three years since "Long Stretch of Lonesome," (not to mention their previous flirtations with songwriters like Buddy Miller) the lack of exceptional songs is disappointing. On the one hand, they haven't turned to the sort of fluff and millimeter deep sentiment that predominates Nashville product, on the other, there's little here that can match the intensity of her last LP.

Yet even lightweight fare such as the single, "That's the Kind of Mood I'm In," show Loveless and Gordy to be engaging: she sings with conviction, and he finds ways to keep the simple fare interesting. Similarly, the Matraca Berg-penned lead-in (featuring Steve Earle's Dylanesque harmonica) is a lot of fun. On heavier-weight lyrics, Loveless takes off, with an interpretive ability that is nearly unparalleled in modern Country music. Unfortunately, there's little here to match the emotional impact of 1997's "You Don't Seem to Miss Me," or the previous album's title track and its contemplative closer, "Where I'm Bound."

Her duet with Travis Tritt shows how well she's able to leverage another vocalist, but "Thirsty" isn't "You Don't Seem to Miss Me," and Tritt isn't George Jones. Her trio work with Tricia Yearwood and bluegrass vocalist Claire Lynch is likewise pleasant to spin, but doesn't seem to reach out of the speakers and grab the listener's imagination.

As Amazon's reviewer has pointed out, Loveless and Gordy seem virtually incapable of producing a bad album. Instead, their latest release can only be said to be 'not-as-great' as some of their previous work.

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