During the first 10 years of her career, Patty Loveless was arguably the most popular woman in country music. Her albums found a balance between contemporary flair and traditional trappings, a mix that earned her comparisons to Patsy Cline and sent five of her songs to the top of the country charts. At the height of her popularity, she even turned a potentially career-ending procedure — corrective throat surgery — into liquid gold, recovering from the process with improved vocals and stronger album sales.
In recent years, however, Nashville has shifted its attention to younger, pop-influenced stars. Neo-traditionalists like Miss Loveless seldom top the charts nowadays, but the Kentucky native still maintains a healthy touring schedule and substantial audience. She also continues looking to the past for inspiration.
“I’ve been in contemporary country music for so many years,” she says from her new home in Georgia, “but I have great appreciation for bluegrass, Appalachian and mountain-type music. I’m from that area of Kentucky where a lot of the music came from.”
Inspired by the likes of Molly O’Day, the Stanley Brothers, Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, Miss Loveless chose to pay tribute to her Kentucky beginnings with “Mountain Soul.” The album was released in 2001, several months after the film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” helped resurrect the popularity of Depression-era country music. “Mountain Soul” took its songs from a similar era, sticking largely to bluegrass and roots music.
Such earthy, vintage music struck a chord with Miss Loveless’ fans, many of whom requested that she issue a similar album in the near future. Eight years later, she happily acquiesced by recording “Mountain Soul II” in four inspired days.
“A lot of the guests I had on the album — Vince Gill, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Carl Jackson — were playing instruments as well as singing,” she says. “The record was done the way people used to do it.”
With its a cappella spirituals and old-timey folk songs, “Mountain Soul II” evokes a bygone era. Flashes of guitar, Dobro, mandolin and banjo give the album a homespun, down-to-earth ambience, while the production technique of Emory Gordon Jr. — Miss Loveless’ longtime producer and husband of 20 years — is simple and appropriately unpolished.
To support the album, Miss Loveless has scheduled a short tour of her favorite East Coast venues. This time, however, she has made some changes to suit the new material.
“My band has played the Birchmere many times, but this is the first time we’ve gone out without a drummer,” she says, noting the tour’s emphasis on acoustic instruments. “Things are a little more intimate. We’ll still be doing older songs that had electric instruments in the original version, but we’ve had to rework the songs to figure out which other instruments work best.”
While the Birchmere may be a long drive from Miss Loveless’ Georgia home, she says “Mountain Soul II” will bring a piece of Kentucky into every venue.
“I’m able to do the music that I grew up with, and I get to link that with the music I’ve played in the past,” she says. “It’s comforting, and it mixes very well.”
• Patty Loveless visits the Rams Head Tavern in Annapolis on Saturday, followed by an appearance at the Birchmere on Nov. 1. Doors for the latter show open at 7:30, and tickets are $45.
A Fine Frenzy courts radio, thanks fans
When Alison Sudol began touring in 2007, she found herself spending most of her time sitting down.
The songs on her debut album, “One Cell in the Sea,” relied on lush arrangements and twinkling piano flourishes, forcing the young singer to sit behind the piano whenever she performed. Although her audience swelled as a result, Miss Sudol grew restless behind such a bulky instrument.
“I wanted to move,” she explains. “I wanted to stand up and sing.”
As leader of A Fine Frenzy, she set to work on a new batch of songs that would evoke the same sense of elegant passion as the band’s name. Miss Sudol drew upon the instrumental skills of her band and fine-tuned her music accordingly, writing tunes that went beyond the piano-based balladry of her debut. Released in August, “Bomb in a Birdcage” finds the singer tackling everything from folk music to electro-pop, with her backing band thumping in syncopation behind her.
A Fine Frenzy is back on the road, with Miss Sudol spending much more time at the front of the stage.
“Songs like ’Blow Away’ and ’Electric Twist’ just ricochet through my body up there,” she says, referencing two of the album’s strongest tracks. “It’s a fully physical experience as opposed to just focusing on my hands and keyboard keys.”
Laughing, she adds, “I feel sort of possessed. It’s really fun.”
“Blow Away,” a whimsical pop song with a soaring chorus, is working its way into steady rotation on radio stations nationwide. Nevertheless, Miss Sudol stresses the importance of her fans — not radio, MTV or other national media — in her continued success.
“If we’re on the radio,” she explains, “it’s because people have requested us on the radio. They’re the reason we’re here. It’s a grass-roots thing. The people who come to our shows — especially the ones who’ve been coming for awhile — are like our friends. We’ve grown together as people, and it’s nice to share that sense of history with them.”
• A Fine Frenzy performs at the Birchmere on Saturday. Doors open at 7:30, and opening sets by Among the Oak & Ash and Landon Pigg will precede the band’s headlining performance. Tickets are $25.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.