Fairfax, VA. (Top40 Charts/ Saguaro Road Records) - For those aching to hear the pure, lonesome tenor from the Appalachian siren of modern country, the wait is over. With her first release in three years,
Patty Loveless is back with her 19th CD on a new label, Saguaro Road Records, formed in June 2008 by Direct Holdings Americas Inc. Direct Holdings also markets and sells audio and video entertainment products under the Time Life brand, which it uses under license from Time Warner Inc.
Produced with her husband and musical soul mate, Emory Gordy Jr., and backed by a Who's Who of Nashville A-list session players, including Harold Bradley, John Hobbs, Hargus "Pig" Robbins, Harry Stinson, Steve Gibson and Biff Watson, with background vocals by Vince Gill, Sleepless Nights features 14 titles that the pair culled from a pool of nearly 500 songs. This album of classics celebrates the many facets of heartache that make country music the diary of the common man.
"Emory and I were talking over dinner about recapturing some of these moments from my youth," Loveless explains, "because I want to inspire and remind people of what country is made of. It takes me back especially to my brother, Roger, and my sister, Dottie, and the music they loved.
"It's a little bit of a history lesson, but I think once you hear the songs, the stories ... you're going to be drawn to it," continues Loveless. "People lived a little differently then, but at the same time, there's a lot more in common [with today] than people would think." Hailed by People magazine as "equal parts Linda Ronstadt and Patsy Cline" when her two-million-selling Only What I Feel was released, Loveless has always believed in honoring her upbringing. Born in rural eastern Kentucky to a coal mining father who loved bluegrass, Patty followed her roots all the way to the Opry stage after first catching the ear of Porter Wagoner when she was only 13. She released her self-titled debut in 1987 and has never looked back.
A CMA Female Vocalist and Album of the Year winner, Loveless has consistently set a standard for what country music should be with platinum CDs and chart-topping songs like "You Don't Even Know Who I Am" and "How Can I Help You Say Goodbye."
As Time magazine once noted, "Her songs catalog every sin a man can commit, every pain a woman can bear. If you turn on the radio and hear a strong heart breaking, chances are it's the one in that plangent Loveless voice ..."
"These are great Country songs", says Direct Holdings Senior Vice President, Retail, Mike Jason, but in many ways they transcend their Country roots by telling universal stories of love, passion and heartbreak." "Patty's beautifully plaintive voice and this album will speak to the Country music purist, the newest fan and everyone in between."
On Sleepless Nights, Loveless draws on her vocal strength and traditional sensibilities to bring her own versions of these timeless standards to life. The title track is itself a bridge between the heart-wrenching Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris duet and the original, more obscure yet hopeful Everly Brothers' version.
That is the beauty of what Loveless has always achieved: a seamless synthesis of what was, what is and what matters.
Whether it's Webb Pierce's cautionary "There Stands the Glass," George Jones regret-steeped "Color of the Blues" or Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart," these songs are imbued with a fire that consumes the listener.
And they are classics for a reason. Not just for what they say, or who wrote or recorded them, but also because of the emotional charge they carry. "I felt like I could dip into my own soul," Loveless says of "Color of the Blues" by her dear friend George Jones. "It grabs a hold of you and won't let go ... and when you're feeling down and out, that may be all you have to hold onto.
"That's what makes country music stand out. 'Don't Let Me Cross Over' is a cheatin' line ... and it was written by a woman, Penny Jay Moyer."
In a world growing more complex, and at the same time more superficial, it takes some digging to find what's real. It's not always neat and tidy, but it is profound. For Loveless, that's the essence of her role as a country music singer.
