The Dreamer (Blake Shelton album)

The Dreamer is the second studio album 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
Studio album by
Blake Shelton
ReleasedFebruary 4, 2003 (2003-02-04)
Recorded2002
StudioSony/Tree Studios, Emerald Sound Studios/"Tracking Room", Cool Tools Audio, Treasure Isle Studios and Blueberry Hill Studios (Nashville, Tennessee).
GenreCountry
Length34:55
LabelWarner Bros. Nashville
ProducerBobby Braddock
Blake Shelton chronology
Blake Shelton
(2001)		 The Dreamer
(2003)		 Blake Shelton's Barn & Grill
(2004)
Singles from The Dreamer
  1. "The Baby"
    Released: October 28, 2002
  2. "Heavy Liftin'"
    Released: 2003
  3. "Playboys of the Southwestern World"
    Released: 2003
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

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.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heavy Liftin'"Boyd Houston Robert, George Teren, Rivers Rutherford3:26
2."The Baby"Harley Allen, Michael White3:54
3."Asphalt Cowboy"Jeff Stevens, Kenny West3:39
4."In My Heaven"Rutherford, Bobby Pinson3:10
5."The Dreamer"Blake Shelton3:59
6."My Neck of the Woods"Shelton, Don Ellis, Billy Montana3:45
7."Underneath the Same Moon"Sharon Vaughn Bellamy, John Rich3:52
8."Georgia in a Jug"Bobby Braddock3:06
9."Playboys of the Southwestern World"Randy VanWarmer, Neal Coty4:28
10."Someday"Kathy Locke, Braddock3:36
Total length:34:55

Personnel

As listed in liner notes.[5]

Production
  • Bobby Braddock – producer
  • Paige Levy – A&R
  • Ed Seay – engineer, mixing
  • Paul Hart – additional engineer, assistant engineer
  • John Saylor – assistant engineer
  • Hank Williams – mastering at MasterMix (Nashville, Tennessee)
  • Milly Catignani – production coordinator
  • Janice Arzak – art direction
  • Garrett Rittenberry – design
  • Kristin Barlowe – photography
  • Debbie Dover – grooming
  • Katherine LePore – stylist

Chart performance

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)[9] Gold

References
  1. Doerschuk, Robert L. "The Dreamer review". Allmusic. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  2. The Dreamer - Blake Shelton - Cut By Cut
  3. Blake Shelton remains the dreamer
  4. Waddell, Ray (March 1, 2003). "Reviews: Blake Shelton — The Dreamer". Billboard. p. 36.
  5. The Dreamer (CD booklet). Blake Shelton. Warner Bros. Records. 2003. 48237-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. "Blake Shelton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  7. "Blake Shelton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  8. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  9. "American album certifications – Blake Shelton – Dreamer". Recording Industry Association of America.
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