Maria McKee - Peddlin' Dreams [2005] [FLAC]

Artist: Maria McKee
Release: Peddlin' Dreams
Discogs: 3297216
Released: 2005
Label: Cooking Vinyl, Indigo / Cooking Vinyl
Catalog#: COOKCD335-CDR, 5997-2 / COOKCD335
Format: FLAC / Lossless / Log (100%) / Cue / CD
Country: UK
Style: Blues, Folk, World, & Country, Rock,



01. Season Of The Fair (3:33)
02. Sullen Soul (4:26)
03. Turn Away (3:22)
04. Peddlin' Dreams (4:30)
05. My One True Love (3:38)
06. People In The Way (4:13)
07. The Horse Life (3:06)
08. Drowned And Died (4:14)
09. Appalachian Boy (5:04)
10. Everyone's Got A Story (3:04)
11. Barstool Blues (3:04)
12. (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am (2:53)


When music discussion turns to the awkwardly named and hardly relevant term “alt-country,” inevitably the discussion circulates around two points: Farrar and Tweedy. Certainly the terrain has become increasingly complex with bands and singer-songwriters exploring the intersections of punk, indie rock, and Americana in a way that blurs the distinctions between all of them. The sound that Tweedy and Farrar made within the context of Uncle Tupelo wouldn’t seem anywhere near as fresh and interesting today as it did in 1990. But that’s history, that’s the way things work. The development of any genre or sound needs its pioneers, it needs focal points listeners can hold onto and examine as they figure out what’s going on (and if they like it). Unfortunately this also means that worthy contributors to the growth and popularization of “the sound” can be unfairly overlooked. Part curtains, turn on spotlight, enter Maria McKee.

When Lone Justice rolled onto the scene in 1985, Uncle Tupelo’s debut No Depression was still five years off. The term “alt-country” had yet to be credibly uttered but critics and fans alike were being swept of their feet by both the urgency of Lone Justice’s sound and the startling pipes on Maria McKee. There had yet to be a popular female voice in the progression of alt-country; Lone Justice made a near irrefutable case for McKee on stunners like “Ways To Be Wicked” and “Don’t Toss Us Away.” Lone Justice was already beginning to strain under the forces of impending stardom. Problem was that it was McKee who was slated to be the star, an alt-country diva who would fit the glass slipper dropped by the likes Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt. Lone Justice’s last album Shelter consisted of glossy pop tunes and none of the conviction of its predecessor. It cemented McKee’s departure for a solo career.

And it hasn’t been a half bad solo career. Beginning with 1989’s Maria McKee it was obvious that McKee’s future was bright. While perhaps not being a fully realized vision of what McKee could do on her own, Maria McKee was still a beguiling look at what she might be able to do. “Panic Beach,” “Breathe,” and “Does He Have A Friend For Me” amongst others demonstrated that McKee was more than just a pretty voice. She was a songwriter of note and a good storyteller. The follow-up, 1993’s You Gotta Sin To Get Saved, seemed to be sucked clean of emotion despite working with rapidly ascending alt country stars like The Jayhawks. The album was more a paean to the idea of 70’s honky-tonk flavored rock than a fully invested attempt at rocking out. It was no failure, but it did seem to indicate McKee might be losing interest in the sound that put her on the map.

The ensuing years brought two solo records: 1996’s Life Is Sweet and 2002’s High Dive. Some basic arithmetic shows 6 years between albums. Six years in the ADD addled world of pop music is a lifetime. But McKee had developed a loyal, fervent following that attended her shows and waited patiently for whatever she would do next. What she was doing was, at best, a distant cousin to the Americana rock that she had begun over ten years ago. A Dixie Chicks cover of her song “Am I The Only One (Who’s Ever Felt This Way)” kept the rent paid but it was no indication that she was ready or willing to return to form. Her solo work was now nearly cinematic in scope, coming closer to musicals than rock. It was big and dramatic, filled with huge crescendos, loud guitars, overdubs, and strings, songs that shunned the slice of life stories of fans had come to love. Instead these later solo records tackled the larger issues that went on behind those stories. What got lost in all of this, though, was perhaps the most important element of all: McKee’s powerfully affecting voice.

So here we are with Peddlin’ Dreams, the album that musically should have followed You Gotta Sin To Get Saved. Peddlin’ Dreams is a conscious return to what many think McKee does best. She simply plays her guitar and sings, accompanied here and there by percussion, pedal steel, and piano. But the stars are her voice and songs.

And these are powerful songs. They are also sad songs. While McKee may have once found life to be sweet, Peddlin’ Dreams seems to say maybe life ain’t so sweet. Album opener “Season Of The Fair” is a story of lost love adorned by acoustic guitar and McKee’s voice, organ accents, and a quiet electric guitar solo. “Sullen Soul,” one of the more upbeat song on the album, starts with an expansive guitar run and pounding drums before settling down to let McKee drown our sorrows in her voice. The song is really a perfect hybrid of her early Americana work (both solo and with Lone Justice) and the grandiose vision of her later solo work. The verses are quiet but the chorus explodes out from the song with McKee’s voice and a searing guitar run rising to blow the froth away.

The real power on Peddlin’ Dreams are the gentle semi-ballads. “Turn Away” is all quiet heartbreak. “Peddlin’ Dreams” is disappointment set to a shuffling beat. “People In The Way” rises to a mid-tempo pace floating on a horn and piano while McKee sings about benders not taken and ways to escape what clings to the insides of our heads. The sole cover on the album of Neil Young’s “Barstool Blues” has McKee belting out the lyrics with passion. It’s a powerful testament to where she’s been. “Everyone’s Got A Story” is what Lone Justice’s semi-hit “Shelter” could have been if it hadn’t been polished to such a perfect 80’s pop gleam.

There isn’t a bad song on Peddlin’ Dreams. In a perfect world this album will pop up on a number of end of year top 10 lists. But as it is Peddlin’ Dreams will have to settle for being recognized as the best alt-country/Americana record to come out so far this year. It’s a welcome return to form for one of the best voices working in any genre.