Mountain Soul, Patty Loveless’s eleventh album, was released by Epic in the United States on 26 June 2001. Emory Gordy Jr. produced it, and it was recorded in Franklin, Tennessee, between January and March 2001. Loveless had wanted to make an acoustic bluegrass album since meeting Ralph Stanley in 1992, and Epic agreed after noticing how audiences responded when she sang bluegrass in concert, at a time when bluegrass-influenced albums such as the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and Nickel Creek’s records were succeeding. Stanley wrote “Daniel Prayed,” one of the fourteen tracks.
Gordy plays guitar and bass, with Tim Hensley on mandolin, Deanie Richardson and Stuart Duncan on fiddle, and Rob Ickes and Gene Wooten on dobro. Earl Scruggs plays banjo on “Pretty Little Miss,” Ricky Skaggs plays mandolin and sings on “Daniel Prayed” and “Soul of Constant Sorrow,” Travis Tritt duets on “Out of Control Raging Fire” and “I Know You’re Married (But I Love You Still),” the Don Reno and Mack Magaha song, and Jon Randall is her duet partner on “Someone I Used to Know.” Darrell Scott, who wrote “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” plays on that track.
The album reached number 19 on Billboard’s country albums chart and number 5 on its bluegrass chart. It was nominated for the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album, and “The Boys Are Back in Town” and “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive” were nominated for Song of the Year at the 2002 International Bluegrass Music Awards.
Tracklist
- 1 The Boys Are Back in Town alt version 2:34
- 2 The Richest Fool Alive 3:21
- 3 Daniel Prayed alt version 2:45
- 4 Someone I Used To Know - Duet with Jon Randall 2:15
- 5 Out Of Control Raging Fire 3:32
- 6 Rise Up Lazarus 2:20
- 7 Cheap Whiskey 3:41
- 8 Pretty Little Miss alt version 2:40
- 9 I Know You’re Married (But I Love You Still) alt version 2:54
- 10 Sorrowful Angels 3:57
- 11 Soul Of Constant Sorrow 3:04
- 12 You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive alt version 6:05
- 13 Two Coats alt version 3:16
- 14 Sounds Of Loneliness 3:48
