| The Dreamer - Blake Shelton | |
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First thing I gotta say is this album should give Blake some comfort in knowing that he has nothing to worry about with a sophomore jinx. This collection of songs has a little something for everyone. From the rockin' workin' man song, "Heavy Liftin'," to the swampy sounds of "My Neck of the Woods," to the aching ballad, "Underneath the Same Moon," everything works. As much as I loved Blake's debut, I really think he's even done better here.
If you love country rock, then "Heavy Liftin'" will probably be one of your favorites from the album. Blake sings of traditional values -- "I don't mind doing a little heavy liftin'. I'm always givin' my everything. Even when I'm hurtin', I keep on workin'. And as long as I'm still alive and kickin', I'll be stickin', to the heavy liftin'." I think this would make a great second single.
The first single is the tear jerker, "The Baby." Blake sings about the special relationship a son has with his mom, being the baby of the family, and then the pain of not being there when she needed him, and not getting to say goodbye before she died. This one has touched so many people, and is sitting at #2 on Billboard's Hot Country Singles charts. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will go to #1.
A long haul driver's life is hard, and is explored in "Asphalt Cowboy." He sings "I'm an asphalt cowboy, born to run underneath the stars." This one is one I sure hope will be a single.
"In My Heaven" talks about his perfect view of how heaven will be. He says "In my heaven there ain't no lawyers. Don't need names on dotted lines." Later he talks about "In my heaven I can sing like Elvis, play guitar like B.B. King." This song was also on Mark Wills' Lovin' Every Minute album.
The title cut was written by Blake, and is another great ballad. He talks about thinking he needed money and fame, but all he really needs is his girl to whisper his name.
I loved the swampy feel of "My Neck of the Woods." He's proud to be where he's from and says that "God sent the heavens down and hung 'em round my neck of the woods." Again, he speaks of family values. His dad works at the sawmill every day, even with a crippled hand, and his mom gets up at the break of dawn to make sure his dad has his eggs and coffee ready for him, and when a fire wiped out one of the local homes, the whole town showed up to help build it back again.
My very favorite song on the album has to be "Underneath The Same Moon." What a great ballad this is! The song was co-written by John Rich, who was formerly with Lonestar, before going solo, and appeared on his album as well. For anyone that has been separated from their boyfriend/girlfriend for any amount of time knows, it's hard to be apart. And, sometimes it helps knowing that even though you're apart, you still are together underneath the same moon. The song is filled with longing, and I just love it. It's a definite single, and number one in my book.
"Georgia In a Jug" is a breakup song where the guy's girl left him and now he's taking the money they were going to spend going around the world, and visiting the world through drinking, as in "I'm going down to Mexico in a glass of tequila. Going down to Puerto Rico in a bottle of rum. Going out to Honolulu in a Mai Tai mug, then I'm coming back home to Georgia in a jug." It's a different way of looking at drinking her off his mind, and it's also a song that Johnny Paycheck released as a single back in 1978.
Blake has a lot of fun with "Playboys of the Southwestern World," which was co-written by Neal Coty. It talks of two guys that go down to Mexico to have a good time drinking and chasing pretty Mexican girls.
The final song, "Someday," has a choir backing Blake up, and is quite different. It talks about what might happen after we die.
If you've enjoyed what Blake's put out from his debut album, I think you'll be quite pleased with his sophomore release.
Song List:
- Heavy Liftin'
- The Baby
- Asphalt Cowboy
- In My Heaven
- The Dreamer
- My Neck Of The Woods
- Underneath The Same Moon
- Georgia In A Jug
- Playboys Of The Southwestern World
- Someday
Album cover and sound clip courtesy of Warner Nashville.
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