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.

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.

"Underneath the Same Moon" was previously recorded by John Rich on his 2000 album of the same name.

"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. The lyrics to the song are about the area in Tennessee where Shelton was living at the time. 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."

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." 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".

Personnel
As listed in liner notes.


 * Blake Shelton – lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitar
 * Bobby Braddock – keyboards, string arrangements
 * Tim Lauer – keyboards, string arrangements and conductor
 * Mike Rojas – keyboards
 * Brent Rowan – Wurlitzer electric piano, electric guitars, baritone guitar
 * John Willis – acoustic guitar
 * Russ Pahl – banjo
 * Jonathan Yudkin – mandolin, fiddle
 * Dan Dugmore – steel guitar
 * Paul Franklin – steel guitar
 * Alison Prestwood – bass
 * Michael Rhodes – bass
 * Shannon Forrest – drums, percussion
 * Greg Morrow – drums, percussion
 * Charlie McCoy – harmonica, trumpet, vibraphone
 * Rob Hajacos – fiddle
 * John Catchings – cello
 * Anthony LaMarchina – cello
 * Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz – cello
 * Jim Grosjean – viola
 * Kristin Wilkinson – viola
 * David Angell – violin
 * David Davidson – violin
 * Carl Gorodetzky – violin
 * Pamela Sixfin – violin
 * Donald Teal – violin
 * Mary Kathryn Vanosdale – violin
 * Larry Cordle – backing vocals
 * Neal Coty – backing vocals
 * Melodie Crittenden – backing vocals
 * Wes Hightower – backing vocals
 * Blue Miller – backing vocals
 * Danny Myrick – backing vocals
 * John Rich – backing vocals
 * John Wesley Ryles – backing vocals
 * Leslie Satcher – backing vocals
 * Sharon Vaughn Bellamy – backing vocals
 * Dennis Wilson – backing vocals

Production

 * Bobby Braddock – producer
 * Paige Levy – A&R
 * Ed Seay – engineer, mixing
 * Paul Hart – additional engineer, assistant engineer
 * John Saylor – assistant engineer
 * Tyson Paine - intern, 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