STRONG HEART, Patty Loveless' first studio release since 1997's LONG STRETCH OF LONESOME, finds the acclaimed vocalist alternating between slick country-pop, rocking blues, and delicate songs of heartbreak and hope. While STRONG HEART is nowhere near as hard country as some of Loveless' past material such as "My Kind of Woman/My Kind of Man," fans will still find plenty here to enjoy.
The album's terrific first single, "That's the Kind of Mood I'm In," combines a whopping hook of a chorus with the playful humor Loveless always brings to her uptempo material. She flat-out rocks on the sassy blues of "You Don't Get No More" and the cleverly-written "The Key of Love," and drops things down to a whisper on the mesmerizing, languid "Thirsty," featuring beautiful harmonies by Travis Tritt. "She Never Stopped Loving Him," one of Loveless' patented tearjerkers, is a sort of companion piece to George Jones' classic "He Stopped Loving Her Today," complete with a gutwrenching surprise ending. The album's closing track, "Pieces on the Ground," is a lovely, melodic plea for both love and God's grace, with a hypnotic, rolling arrangement. Loveless has toned down the twang here, but her knack for choosing the right material makes STRONG HEART beat true.
