You're The Reason Why / Seemed Like Yesterday / Connected / One Mississippi / Dreaming Out Loud / Other Side Of The Story / Every Day / I Was Watching You / `Cause You Believed In Me / All About Us

Tracey James has been `bubbling under' for the past few years, waiting for a break-through into country music's big leagues. The Nova Scotia-born, Prairie-raised singer has endured through a couple of name changes (from Tracey Kunkel to Tracey Ennis, to Tracey James) to create her own identity; and she generated some early attention with a 1999 win in the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame National Singing Contest. Now, with this project produced by Steve Fox, and the benefit of some heavy radio and video action on the album's lead single, You're The Reason Why; it appears as though Tracey James' time has finally come.

Tracey James has a potent vocal style that fits perfectly into today's country sound; and she is provided with some quality songs here (six of which are written or co-written by producer Steve Fox), to showcase her vocal prowess. Several items stand out - All About Us (one of two songs on the album co-written by Lisa Brokop), is a bouncy item, pegged as the album's next single. Seemed Like Yesterday (written by Brokop and Cyril Rawson), is equally as bubbly. I Was Watching You is a strong `message' song dealing with parental guidance, and could easily become a `statement' song for Tracey James. Similar offerings are found in The Other Side Of The Story and the positive love item, `Cause You Believe In Me. Watch also for Connected to be a potential hit from this collection.

A couple of entries will be familiar. The title track Dreaming Out Loud was initially cut by Nashville's Aussie import, Sherrie Austin; while the Steve Fox song One Mississippi has been cut before by Gail Bliss and Sharon Parker - but it likely will remain an album cut here since there is already competition by a similarly titled song on Jill King's excellent Jillbilly debut album; and Terri Clark's current chart success is Three Mississippi (guess everybody got the same idea at the same time).

Steve Fox's input here is substantial in both his production work and his songwriting. There are some interesting collaborations - The Other Side Of the Story was co-written with Nashville's Chris Wallin, creator of Montgomery Gentry's current smash, Speed; while Walter Egan, who co-wrote the uplifting country song Every Day here with Fox, comes from the 70's Pop/Rock scene, also doing duty in the Gram Parsons/Emmylou Harris era; and currently connected to the quasi-country outfit, The Brooklyn Cowboys. It is this kind of diversification in the material here that injects a fresh sound, and Tracey James does the rest with her sultry vocal delivery.

Dreaming Out Loud was recorded at Louis Sedmak Studios in Edmonton, and features an all-Canuck lineup of session players and background voices. The album holds up nicely against anything coming out of Nashville these days.