PATTERSON BARRETT RELEASES I MUST BE DREAMING ON OCTOBER 9

PATTERSON BARRETT RELEASES I MUST BE DREAMING ON OCTOBER 9

DEBUT CD INCLUDES SPECIAL GUESTS BUDDY AND JULIE MILLER


AUSTIN, TX – So’ Fish Records announces an October 9 release date for the debut CD from singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Patterson Barrett, I Must Be Dreaming, distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution. The album includes special guest appearances by Buddy and Julie Miller.

Raised in the Washington, DC area, Patterson Barrett moved to Austin shortly after appearing on Jerry Jeff Walker’s classic first album on MCA Records, playing pedal steel, dobro and guitar (including the song, “L.A. Freeway”). He soon formed the band Partners In Crime, which included Buddy and Julie Miller, and released one album under that name. During his earlier years in Austin, he produced some of Hal Ketchum’s first demos, played in Al Kooper’s back-up band, accompanied Nancy Griffith on “Austin City Limits,” toured as a member of Lou Ann Barton’s road band and played on Buddy Miller’s debut album, Your Love And Other Lies.

After years of collaborating with so many artists, Barrett has found his own unique voice both as a songwriter and performer on his new release, I Must Be Dreaming. On the new album, he explores some of the aspects of dreams and alternate realities of life and death that touch us all.

Influenced by Neil Young, Poco and the Flying Burrito Brothers as well as Sam and Dave, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye, Patterson Barrett’s music on his new CD blends elements of country, rock, R&B and roots music for an all-Americana sound that’s been compared to John Hiatt, The Band (whose song “Sleeping” he lovingly covers), and Ryan Adams.

I Must Be Dreaming has a cohesive, unified feel, perhaps owing to the fact that Barrett plays the majority of the instruments on most of the tracks himself, including not only various guitars & keyboards, but also more exotic colors such as pedal steel guitar, mandolin, and accordion. This single-minded approach only helps the guest star appearances shine more brightly against Barrett’s seamless production.

The lead-off track, “Take The Stage,” reunites onetime bandmates Barrett and Buddy Miller in a rockin’ dialogue of duet vocals punctuated by some nice interplay between Miller’s signature guitar playing and Barrett’s slippery lap steel. On “Concrete & Steel,” Julie Miller’s guest vocals join Barrett and Miller in a bittersweet recollection of a love that can only be relived in a dream.
“It was a special thing for Julie and me to sing with Patterson on ‘Concrete & Steel,’ says Buddy Miller about the track. “We love the song. and hearing our voices together only makes us want to do some more. Singing with a good friend makes for a natural blend.”

Other guests on the new CD include drummer Tommy Taylor (Eric Johnson) and singer Deborah Holland, whose harmony singing with Barrett recalls Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris.

While sharing a thematic connection, the songs cover a wide range of subjects, from the teen suicide that prompted the crisis of faith expressed in “Back In My Heart” to the insomnia documented in “She Won’t Be Getting Any Sleep Tonight.” Included in the collection is “Leap Of Faith,” a Cajun romp written by longtime musical friend, Gurf Morlix (and Rod Picott).

There are also several family connections on the new CD. The song “I’ve Been Loving You For Such A Long Time,” written for Barrett’s daughter, gives voice to some deeply held emotions of a father toward his children. And son Emerson joins his dad for a track, playing upright bass on the song, “Concrete & Steel”.

Patterson Barrett will tour in support of I Must Be Dreaming, with plans for an Austin show to celebrate the national release to be announced shortly.

For more information, visit www.pattersonbarrett.com

- 30 -