Though I agree that her albums have been somewhat uneven, Mattea’s high points really tower over those of many of her contemporaries. “Standing Knee Deep in a River” and “Asking Us to Dance,” though not two of her biggest hits, are probably my two favorite singles of hers and are great examples of how pop, folk, and even soul music influences outside of country can be put to effective use within the genre. Like Pam Tillis and Carlene Carter, Mattea really understands how to draw from a diverse set of influences and still keep her work grounded in a deep understanding of country music.

That said, I very much like Kathy Mattea as a singer and have all of her albums except the Christmas albums and the most recent album. I’ve always liked Kathy’s singles (including the much maligned “Street Talk”) but her albums have always been a very mixed bag, with both hidden gems and total snoozers.

I am looking forward to picking up her most recent CD – I can tell from the song titles that she’s selected some terrific songs by terrific writers. Included among the songs are three by the great Billy Edd Wheeler “Coal Tattoo”, Redwing/Blackbird” and “The Coming of The Roads” plus the immortal Merle Travis tune “Dark As A Dungeon”. There are two selections from folk songwriter Jean Ritchie, “The L&N Don’t Stop Here Anymore” and “Blue Diamond Mines” plus songs from folkies Hazel Dickens and Bruce Phillips. I’ve always said nothing good ever comes from committees and the best songs on this album are NOT co-written efforts

I’ve heard most of the songs as performed by other artists (and if you haven’t heard Billy Edd Wheeler sing, you really should seek out his recordings – he is the best at interpreting his own material) and Mattea is to be commended for her courage in recording previously recorded songs. I hope her interpretations at least approach those of the original artists, but given her track record, I expect they will.