Album Review: Mountain Soul II by Patty Loveless

For the record: Patty Loveless' Mountain Soul II is not a strict sequel to its 2001 predecessor. Whereas the former album was chock-full of bluegrass tunes both historical and contemporary, the sequel is a far more diverse collection that includes traditional songs, country music classics, and some new originals -- and yes, there are a couple of bluegrass tunes in the mix. Loveless and her husband, producer Emory Gordy, Jr., recruited a remarkable cast of players and backing vocalists, and wrote some stellar tunes to put alongside hallmark favorites on this mostly acoustic date.

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I recently spoke to a woman currently incarcerated in an Iowa state prison and asked her how she felt about prison songs. Not the Johnny Cash/David Allen Coe kind about people actually being locked up, but the more metaphorical ones that concern love being like a prison. Did imaginary poetic depictions somehow cheapen the real experience? The woman just laughed and told me to lighten up.

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