The Dreamer (Blake Shelton album)
The Dreamer is the second studio album released by American country music artist Blake Shelton. Released in 2003 on Warner Bros. Records Nashville, it features the Number One single "The Baby," as well as the singles "Heavy Liftin'" and "Playboys of the Southwestern World". The Dreamer is certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and features staff writers on all but one track.
| The Dreamer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 4, 2003 | |||
| Recorded | 2002 at Sony/Tree Studios and Emerald Sound Studios/"Tracking Room" | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 34:55 | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. Nashville | |||
| Producer | Bobby Braddock | |||
| Blake Shelton chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Dreamer | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
Content
"The Baby" was the first single from the album. This song spent three weeks at Number One on the Billboard country charts in early 2003, becoming Shelton's second Number One hit. Unlike with his debut album, the second and third singles from The Dreamer did not peak as highly: "Heavy Liftin'" peaked at number 32, and "Playboys of the Southwestern World" at number 24.
"Georgia in a Jug" was previously recorded by Johnny Paycheck on his 1978 album Take This Job and Shove It, and his version was a number 20 country hit that year. "In My Heaven" was previously recorded by Mark Wills on his 2001 album Loving Every Minute.
Shelton's one solo writing credit on the album is for the title track, which is about Shelton's relationship with his then-fiance Kaynette Gern. "My Neck of the Woods" was co-written by Shelton and was inspired by the music of Hank Williams Jr.[2] The lyrics to the song are about the area in Tennessee where Shelton was living at the time.[3] Shelton said about "My Neck of the Woods", "This is a song I begged and begged to have on my first album, but I just couldn't convince the record company. Now I'm glad it didn't make the first album, because I think it fits better on this one."[2]
Critical reception
Robert L. Doerschuk of Allmusic rated the album three stars out of five, saying, "Rough, rawboned energy drives Blake Shelton's sophomore release[…]the problem lies more with the material, which represents the doldrum state of songwriting in music city."[1] Ray Waddell of Billboard thought that the album's variety of material made it "broader than its predecessor", contrasting the "muscular" "Heavy Liftin'" to the "impressive passion" on "The Baby", although he criticized the production of "Asphalt Cowboy".[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heavy Liftin'" | Boyd Houston Robert, George Teren, Rivers Rutherford | 3:26 |
| 2. | "The Baby" | Harley Allen, Michael White | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Asphalt Cowboy" | Jeff Stevens, Kenny West | 3:39 |
| 4. | "In My Heaven" | Rutherford, Bobby Pinson | 3:10 |
| 5. | "The Dreamer" | Blake Shelton | 3:59 |
| 6. | "My Neck of the Woods" | Shelton, Don Ellis, Billy Montana | 3:45 |
| 7. | "Underneath the Same Moon" | Sharon Vaughn Bellamy, John Rich | 3:52 |
| 8. | "Georgia in a Jug" | Bobby Braddock | 3:06 |
| 9. | "Playboys of the Southwestern World" | Randy VanWarmer, Neal Coty | 4:28 |
| 10. | "Someday" | Kathy Locke, Braddock | 3:36 |
| Total length: | 34:55 | ||
Personnel
As listed in liner notes.[5]
- Bobby Braddock – keyboards
- Larry Cordle – background vocals
- Neal Coty – background vocals
- Melodie Crittenden – background vocals
- Dan Dugmore – steel guitar
- Shannon Forrest – drums
- Paul Franklin – steel guitar
- Rob Hajacos – fiddle
- Wes Hightower – background vocals
- Tim Lauer – keyboards
- Charlie McCoy – harmonica, trumpet, vibraphone
- Blue Miller – background vocals
- Greg Morrow – drums
- Danny Myrick – background vocals
- Russ Pahl – banjo
- Alison Prestwood – bass guitar
- Michael Rhodes – bass guitar
- John Rich – background vocals
- Michael Rojas – keyboards
- Brent Rowan – electric guitar, baritone guitar, Wurlitzer electric piano
- John Wesley Ryles – background vocals
- Leslie Satcher – background vocals
- Blake Shelton – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Sharon Vaughn Bellamy – background vocals
- John Willis – acoustic guitar
- Dennis Wilson – background vocals
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 8 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | US | ||
| 2002 | "The Baby" | 1 | 28 |
| 2003 | "Heavy Liftin'" | 32 | — |
| "Playboys of the Southwestern World" | 24 | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[6] | Gold |
References
- Doerschuk, Robert L. "The Dreamer review". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- The Dreamer - Blake Shelton - Cut By Cut
- Blake Shelton remains the dreamer
- Waddell, Ray (1 March 2003). "Reviews: Blake Shelton — The Dreamer". Billboard: 36.
- The Dreamer (CD booklet). Blake Shelton. Warner Bros. Records. 2003. 48237-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "American album certifications – Blake Shelton – Dreamer". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.