Sleepless Nights (Patty Loveless album)
Encyclopedia
Sleepless Nights is the fifteenth album by American country music
artist Patty Loveless
. The album was released on September 9, 2008 (see 2008 in country music
). Her first album for the Sagauaro Road Records label, it is also her first studio album since Dreamin' My Dreams in 2005. Sleepless Nights comprises cover versions of traditional classic country music songs. "Why Baby Why
", a song originally recorded by George Jones
which has also been a chart hit for several other artists, was released in September 2008 as the first single from the album.
, Loveless' husband and producer, "showers [the songs] in emotion and Loveless simply needs to open her mouth to tell the story behind the words to get it across to the listener, where it resonates deeply."
Matt C., a critic for The 9513, also gave the album a four-out-of-five rating. He described Sleepless Nights as "a thoroughly arresting listening experience, as Loveless lays twenty-first century gloss, if not sensibilities, on a few songs that haven’t been dusted off in quite some time." Although he criticized the album's lack of up-tempo songs and felt that some of the covers were "uncomfortable", he nonetheless commended Loveless for "find[ing] her wheelhouse on songs that are no-less classic but nonetheless haven’t achieved corner bar ubiquity", also saying "The success of these songs is equal testament to Loveless’ outstanding country voice and the timeless quality of the material she’s selected."
Slant Magazine
critic Jonathan Keefe also criticized the album for its lack up-tempo material, but gave it four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying "Loveless has offered another unqualified masterpiece with Sleepless Nights and reasserted her place as one of the premier artists not just of the country genre but of contemporary popular music."
.* Bonus Track, only available via download
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless
Patty Loveless , is an American country music singer.Since her emergence on the country music scene in late 1986 with her first album, Loveless has been one of the most popular female singers of the Neotraditional country movement, although she has also recorded albums in the Country pop and...
. The album was released on September 9, 2008 (see 2008 in country music
2008 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 2008.-Events:* April 27 — A story in the New York Daily News reported a possible long-term relationship between Mindy McCready and baseball star Roger Clemens that began when she was 15 years old...
). Her first album for the Sagauaro Road Records label, it is also her first studio album since Dreamin' My Dreams in 2005. Sleepless Nights comprises cover versions of traditional classic country music songs. "Why Baby Why
Why Baby Why
"Why Baby Why" is the title of a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records, and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones manager Pappy Daily, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard country charts that year...
", a song originally recorded by George Jones
George Jones
George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....
which has also been a chart hit for several other artists, was released in September 2008 as the first single from the album.
Critical reception
Allmusic critic Thom Jurek gave Sleepless Nights a four-star rating out of five, saying "Loveless takes each of these cuts deep into the well of her heart and let's them rip." Jurek also said that Emory Gordy, Jr.Emory Gordy, Jr.
Emory Gordy, Jr., born December 25, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, is an American musician and music producer. Since 1989, he has been married to country music artist Patty Loveless. Gordy was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1992...
, Loveless' husband and producer, "showers [the songs] in emotion and Loveless simply needs to open her mouth to tell the story behind the words to get it across to the listener, where it resonates deeply."
Matt C., a critic for The 9513, also gave the album a four-out-of-five rating. He described Sleepless Nights as "a thoroughly arresting listening experience, as Loveless lays twenty-first century gloss, if not sensibilities, on a few songs that haven’t been dusted off in quite some time." Although he criticized the album's lack of up-tempo songs and felt that some of the covers were "uncomfortable", he nonetheless commended Loveless for "find[ing] her wheelhouse on songs that are no-less classic but nonetheless haven’t achieved corner bar ubiquity", also saying "The success of these songs is equal testament to Loveless’ outstanding country voice and the timeless quality of the material she’s selected."
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
critic Jonathan Keefe also criticized the album for its lack up-tempo material, but gave it four-and-a-half stars out of five, saying "Loveless has offered another unqualified masterpiece with Sleepless Nights and reasserted her place as one of the premier artists not just of the country genre but of contemporary popular music."
Track listing
Source:| Track | Song Title | Writer(s) | Original Artist | Original Release | Length |
| 1 | "Why Baby Why Why Baby Why "Why Baby Why" is the title of a country music song co-written and originally recorded by George Jones. Released in late 1955 on Starday Records, and produced by Starday co-founder and Jones manager Pappy Daily, it peaked at #4 on the Billboard country charts that year... " |
Darrell Edwards, George Jones George Jones George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette.... |
George Jones | 1955 | 2:18 |
| 2 | "The Pain of Loving You" | Dolly Parton Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk... , Porter Wagoner Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and... |
Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton | 1971 | 2:46 |
| 3 | "He Thinks I Still Care" | Dickey Lee Dickey Lee Royden Dickey Lipscomb , known professionally as Dickey Lee , is an American pop/country singer and songwriter, best known for the 1960s teenage tragedy songs "Patches" and "Laurie ."-Career:Lee made his first recordings in his hometown of Memphis for Tampa... |
George Jones | 1962 | 2:59 |
| 4 | "Sleepless Nights" (featuring Vince Gill Vince Gill Vincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a... ) |
Boudleaux Bryant, Felice Bryant Felice and Boudleaux Bryant Felice Bryant and Boudleaux Bryant were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team best known for songs such as "Rocky Top," "Love Hurts" and numerous Everly Brothers hits, including "All I Have to Do Is Dream" and "Bye Bye Love".-Beginnings:Boudleaux was born Diadorius... |
Everly Brothers | 1960 | 4:21 |
| 5 | "Crazy Arms Crazy Arms "Crazy Arms" is an American country song recorded by Ray Price. The song, released in May 1956, went on to become a hit that year and a honky-tonk standard. It was Price's first number one hit. The song was written by Ralph Mooney and Charles Seals... " |
Ralph Mooney, Chuck Seals | Ray Price Ray Price (musician) Ray Price is an American country music singer, songwriter and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone has often been praised as among the best male voices of country music... |
1956 | 4:00 |
| 6 | "There Stands the Glass There Stands the Glass "There Stands the Glass" is a country song that was written by Russ Hull, Mary Jean Shurtz and Audrey Greisham, and was a hit for Webb Pierce in 1953. It was Pierce's fifth release to hit number one on the country charts... " |
Audrey Greisham, Russ Hull, Mary Jean Shurtz | Webb Pierce Webb Pierce Webb Michael Pierce was one of the most popular American honky tonk vocalists of the 1950s, charting more number one hits than any other country artist during the decade. His biggest hit was "In The Jailhouse Now," which charted for 37 weeks in 1955, 21 of them at number one... |
1953 | 2:35 |
| 7 | "That's All It Took" (featuring Jedd Hughes Jedd Hughes Jedd Hughes is a country musician born in Australia. Hughes grew up in Quorn, where he grew up listening to his father's country records. He won a local country music contest at the age of eight and began playing guitar from age nine, taking lessons from his father... ) |
Darrell Edwards, Carlos Grier, Jones | George Jones & Gene Pitney Gene Pitney Eugene Francis Alan Pitney, known as Gene Pitney , was an American singer-songwriter, musician and sound engineer. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic and was among the group of early 1960s American acts who continued to enjoy hits after the... |
1966 | 2:35 |
| 8 | "Color of the Blues" | Jones, Lawton Williams | George Jones | 1958 | 3:06 |
| 9 | "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a number one country music single for The Davis Sisters in 1953. The song, written by Cecil Null, was the first hit for the duo of Skeeter Davis and Betty Jack Davis and their only one as Betty Jack was killed in an automobile accident the week the record... " |
Cecil Null | The Davis Sisters The Davis Sisters (country) The Davis Sisters were an American country music duo consisting of two unrelated singers, Skeeter Davis and Betty Jack Davis. One of the original female country groups, they are best known for their 1953 No... |
1953 | 3:30 |
| 10 | "Next in Line" | Wayne Kemp, Curtis Wayne | Conway Twitty Conway Twitty Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006... |
1968 | 3:06 |
| 11 | "Don't Let Me Cross Over Don't Let Me Cross Over "Don't Let Me Cross Over" is a song made famous as a duet by Carl Butler and Pearl, a husband-and-wife country music duo. Originally released in November 1962, the song needed just four weeks to reach the number-one spot on the Billboard Country Singles chart... " |
Penny Jay | Carl Butler and Pearl Carl Butler and Pearl Carl Butler and Pearl was an American country music husband-and-wife duo. Between 1962 and 1969, the duo released several singles and charted thirteen times on the U.S. country charts, reaching #1 in 1962 with their first single, "Don't Let Me Cross Over".... |
1962 | 3:23 |
| 12 | "Please Help Me I'm Falling Please Help Me I'm Falling Please Help Me I'm Falling is the title of a recording by American country music singer Hank Locklin, released in 1960. It marks Locklin's first release considered part of the Nashville Sound.... " |
Hal Blair, Don Robertson | Hank Locklin Hank Locklin Lawrence Hankins Locklin , better known as Hank Locklin, was an American country music singer-songwriter... |
1960 | 2:40 |
| 13 | "There Goes My Everything There Goes My Everything (song) "There Goes My Everything" is a popular song by Dallas Frazier, published in 1965. The song is best known in a 1966 version by Jack Greene whose version spent seven weeks at the top and a total of twenty-one weeks on the chart. The song also won several awards, including Single of the Year and... " |
Dallas Frazier Dallas Frazier Dallas Frazier is an American country musician and songwriter who had success in the 1950s and 60s.-Biography:Frazier was born in Spiro, Oklahoma but was raised in Bakersfield, California... |
Jack Greene Jack Greene Jack Greene is an American country musician nicknamed the "Jolly Green Giant" and well known for his 1966 hit "There Goes My Everything."-Early career:... |
1966 | 2:50 |
| 14 | "Cold, Cold Heart Cold, Cold Heart "Cold, Cold Heart" is a country music and popular music song, written by Hank Williams. This blues ballad is both a classic of honky tonk and an entry in the Great American Songbook.... " |
Hank Williams | Hank Williams | 1951 | 2:53 |
| 15* | "We'll Sweep out the Ashes in the Morning" | Joyce Ann Allsup | Carl Butler & Pearl | 1969 | 3:14 |
| 16* | "If Teardrops Were Pennies" | Carl Butler | Carl Smith Carl Smith Carl Smith may refer to:* Carl Smith , American country music singer* Carl Smith , American football coach* Carl Smith , ice hockey winger... |
1951 | 2:38 |
.* Bonus Track, only available via download
Personnel
- Harold Bradley – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, tic tac bass, archtop guitarArchtop guitarAn archtop guitar is a steel-stringed acoustic or semi-acoustic guitar with a full body and a distinctive arched top, whose sound is particularly popular with blues and jazz players.Typically, an archtop guitar has:* 6 strings... - Pete Finney – steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
- Vince GillVince GillVincent Grant "Vince" Gill is an American neotraditional country singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman to the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s, and as a solo artist beginning in 1983, where his talents as a...
– background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Emory Gordy, Jr.Emory Gordy, Jr.Emory Gordy, Jr., born December 25, 1944, in Atlanta, Georgia, is an American musician and music producer. Since 1989, he has been married to country music artist Patty Loveless. Gordy was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1992...
– bass guitar, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound... - Steve Gibson – electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- John Hobbs – pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Jedd HughesJedd HughesJedd Hughes is a country musician born in Australia. Hughes grew up in Quorn, where he grew up listening to his father's country records. He won a local country music contest at the age of eight and began playing guitar from age nine, taking lessons from his father...
– background vocals - Virgil Lee – background vocals
- Jim Iler – background vocals
- Billy Linneman – upright bass
- Al PerkinsAl PerkinsAl Perkins is a Texas-born American guitarist. The Gibson guitar company called Perkins "the world's most influential Dobro player", and even began producing an "Al Perkins Signature" Dobro in 2001 - designed and autographed by Perkins....
– steel guitar - Sydnie Perry – background vocals
- Carmella Ramsey – background vocals
- Deanie Richardson – fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - Hargus "Pig" Robbins – piano
- Harry Stinson – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, background vocals - Guthrie Trapp – electric guitar
- Biff Watson – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, archtop guitar
Chart performance
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 86 |