{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}} {{Infobox album | name = Love Travels | type = studio | artist = Kathy Mattea | cover = lovetravels.jpg | released = {{Start date|1997|02|04}} | recorded = June–December 1996 | studio = * Woodland Sound Studios and Magazine Street Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) * Red House Studios (New York City, New York) * BearTracks Studios (Suffern, New York) * My Generation Studio (Somerville, Maine) | genre = {{hlist|Contemporary country<ref name="Allmusic">{{cite web |last1=Owens |first1=Thom |title=''Love Travels'': Kathy Mattea: Songs, reviews, credits |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-travels-mw0000080698 |website=AllMusic |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref>|country folk<ref name="Allmusic"/>}} | length = 47:17 | label = Mercury Records Nashville | producer = {{hlist|Kathy Mattea||Ben Wisch}} | prev_title = Walking Away a Winner | prev_year = 1994 | next_title = The Innocent Years | next_year = 2000 | misc = {{Singles | name = Love Travels | type = studio | single1 = 455 Rocket | single1date = January 18, 1997 | single2 = I'm on Your Side | single2date = May 19, 1997 | single3 = Love Travels | single3date = August 1997 | single4 = Patiently Waiting | single4date = 1998 }} }} '''''Love Travels''''' is the tenth studio album by American country music artist, Kathy Mattea. It was released on February 4, 1997, via Mercury Records Nashville. The disc contained a total of 11 tracks that blended a mixture of different musical styles. ''Love Travels'' spawned four singles, two of which made the North American country songs charts: "455 Rocket" and the title track. The album itself reached the top 20 of the American country albums chart and was reviewed positively by critics.
==Background== Steve Huey of AllMusic described Kathy Mattea as "one of the most respected female country stars of her era" as well as "a commercially successful hitmaker". During the eighties and nineties, four of Mattea's singles topped the North American country charts: "Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses", "Goin' Gone", "Burnin' Old Memories" and "Come from the Heart". Several more made the top ten and top 20 during those decades. By the mid nineties, Mattea had begun changing her artistic direction.<ref name="Allmusicbio">{{cite web |last1=Huey |first1=Steve |title=Kathy Mattea: Biography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/kathy-mattea-mn0000362437/biography |website=AllMusic |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref> For her next album, Mattea explained that she wanted to "delver deeper" into what she was "feeling". "It's such a gift to be paid for being who you are as an artist. I'm so lucky to have a very loyal following of people who've stayed with me through all of my eclectic restlessness. They always want to see what I am going to do next," she explained in 1997.<ref name="Sun Sentinel">{{cite news |title=LOVE TRAVELS ON MATTEA'S LATEST ALBUM |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1997-03-28-9703260372-story.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=Sun-Sentinel |date=March 28, 1997}}</ref>
==Recording and content== ''Love Travels'' was co-produced by Mattea, along with Ben Wisch and assistant production credits from Shane Tarleton. The album was recorded between June and December 1996 at Woodland Studios, located in Nashville, Tennessee.<ref name="Liner Notes">{{cite journal |last1=Mattea |first1=Kathy |title=''Love Travels'' (Liner Notes and Album Information) |journal=Mercury Records |date=February 4, 1997 |id=314-532 899-4 (Cassette), 314-532 899-2 (CD)}}</ref> It incorporated commercial country music with elements of country folk. Other genres explored in some selections included Celtic, Caribbean and New Orleans musical styles. Mattea told the ''Sun Sentinel'' that she wanted the songs to guide her musical direction for the album.<ref name="Sun Sentinel"/>
''Love Travels'' consisted of 11 tracks of material. One track featured writing credits from Mattea's husband (and songwriter), Jon Vezner. Titled "All Roads to the River" was composed with singer-songwriter, Janis Ian.<ref name="Liner Notes"/> The fifth features vocals from country artist, Suzy Bogguss. Titled "Further and Further Away", the song discusses how parents age as their children develop into maturity. Mattea personally connected with the song as she was watching both her parents age at the time.<ref name="Sun Sentinel"/> Other themes about romance are found on songs like "If That's What You Call Love". The sixth track, "455 Rocket", is a story song built around a man's love of an Oldsmobile 88 car. The final track, "Beautiful Fool", discusses how social leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr. tried to solve problems without using physical violence.<ref name="Country Standard Time">{{cite web |last1=Loy |first1=Robert |title=Kathy Mattea -- ''Love Travels'' |url=https://www.countrystandardtime.com/d/cdreview.asp?xid=1617 |website=Country Standard Time |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref>
==Critical reception== {{Music ratings | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1Score = {{Rating|3|5}} | rev2 = ''Chicago Tribune'' | rev2Score = {{Rating|3|4}} | rev3 = ''Entertainment Weekly'' | rev3Score = B+ }} ''Love Travels'' received a mostly positive critical reception. In their review, ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the album a B+ rating.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=''Love Travels'' album |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=1997 |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,286812,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090421171526/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,286812,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 21, 2009 |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref> Thom Owens of AllMusic rated the project three out of five stars. He found the album's production to evoke more polished sounds that her previous works, but nonetheless found it to be a strong collection of material. Owens further commented that it walks "the perfect middle-ground between country-folk and mainstream contemporary country."<ref name="Allmusic"/>
The ''Chicago Tribune'' gave the project three out of four stars, noting the blending the album's incorporation of various musical styles. "Mattea just keeps rolling along in her 11th studio album, another engaging effort highlighted by songs from Gillian Welch, Jim Lauderdale, Cheryl Wheeler and Janis Ian. Love and the human spirit reign triumphant in songs that urge listeners to find their muses and trust those pesky inner voices," the newspaper commented.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nanci GriffithBlues Roses From the Moons (Elektra)... |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-03-28-9703280359-story.html |access-date=26 November 2022 |work=Chicago Tribune |date=March 28, 1997}}</ref> Robert Loy of ''Country Standard Time'' found the album to be more personal that previous works in his review: "For some time now, Kathy Mattea has managed to walk the line between commercialism and a more mature artistic vision. Her previous release ''Walking Away a Winner'' was radio friendly, but she's back on more personal, even spiritual ground on ''Love Travels''.<ref name="Country Standard Time"/>
==Release, chart performance and singles== ''Love Travels'' was released on February 4, 1997, on Mercury Records Nashville. It was originally offered as both a compact disc and a cassette.<ref name="Liner Notes"/> It was later released to digital sites for downloading and streaming purposes.<ref name="Apple">{{cite web |title=''Love Travels'' by Kathy Mattea |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/love-travels/1444022991 |website=Apple Music |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref> The album entered the American ''Billboard'' Top Country Albums chart on February 22, 1997, and spent 28 weeks there. On April 12, 1997, it peaked at number 15 on the chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Kathy Mattea chart history (Country Albums) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kathy-mattea/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref> It also made the ''Billboard 200'' all-genre chart, reaching number 121 on April 12, 1997, after 14 weeks on the chart.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Kathy Mattea chart history (Billboard 200) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kathy-mattea/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref> It also became her second album to make the United Kingdom's Official Charts Company all-genre chart, reaching number 65.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/kathy%20mattea/|title=Listings for Kathy Mattea|work=Official Charts|accessdate=3 November 2014}}</ref>
Four singles were spawned from ''Love Travels''. The first was "455 Rocket", which was issued on January 18, 1997.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mattea |first1=Kathy |title="455 Rocket"/"All Roads to the River" (CD Single) |journal=Mercury Records Nashville |date=January 18, 1997 |id=578 950-7}}</ref> On April 19, 1997, the song peaked at number 21 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs chart.<ref name="Country Songs">{{cite magazine |title=Kathy Mattea chart history (Country Songs) |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/kathy-mattea/chart-history/clp/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=26 November 2022}}</ref> It also reached the top 20 of Canada's ''RPM'' country chart, peaking at number 16 around the same time.<ref name="RPM Country">{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=v9vu4cg317qi3rb786j0k525s3&q1=Kathy+Mattea&q2=Country+Singles&interval=20|title=Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada - Country Singles|work=RPM|accessdate=June 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402184330/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=v9vu4cg317qi3rb786j0k525s3&q1=Kathy+Mattea&q2=Country+Singles&interval=20|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> The next single issued from the album was the track, "I'm on Your Side", which was issued to radio on May 19, 1997.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-05-16.pdf|title=Going for Adds|journal=Radio & Records|page=55|date=May 19, 1997}}</ref> The single did not chart on ''Billboard'''s country survey.<ref name="Country Songs"/> It was followed by the title track, which was released in August 1997.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mattea |first1=Kathy |title="Love Travels" (CD single) |journal=Mercury Records/PolyGram |date=August 1997 |id=MNCD-131}}</ref> The song later peaked at number 39 on the ''Billboard'' country chart after 16 weeks there.<ref name="Country Songs"/> It also reached number 79 on the ''RPM'' country songs chart.<ref name="RPM Country"/> The final single issued from ''Love Travels'' was the track, "Patiently Waiting", which not chart on ''Billboard''. It was released in 1998.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mattea |first1=Kathy |title="Patiently Waiting" (Radio Edit) / "Patiently Waiting" (LP Version) |journal=Mercury Records |date=1998 |id=MNCD-194}}</ref><ref name="Country Songs"/>
==Track listing== {{Track listing | headline = CD and digital versions<ref name="Liner Notes"/><ref name="Apple"/> | total_length = 47:17 | title1 = Love Travels | writer1 = {{hlist|Bob Halligan Jr.|Linda Halligan}} | length1 = 5:31 | title2 = Sending Me Angels | writer2 = {{hlist|Francis John Miller|Jerry Lynn Williams}} | length2 = 4:16 | title3 = Patiently Waiting | writer3 = Gillian Welch | length3 = 5:05 | title4 = If That's What You Call Love | writer4 = Lionel Cartwright | length4 = 4:30 | title5 = Further and Further Away | writer5 = Cheryl Wheeler | length5 = 4:32 | title6 = 455 Rocket | writer6 = {{hlist|David Rawlings|Welch}} | length6 = 4:09 | title7 = I'm on Your Side | writer7 = Jim Lauderdale | length7 = 3:10 | title8 = The Bridge | writer8 = {{hlist|Tom Kimmel|Jim Pittman}} | length8 = 3:26 | title9 = All Roads to the River | writer9 = {{hlist|Janis Ian|Jon Vezner}} | length9 = 3:17 | title10 = The End of the Line | writer10 = {{hlist|Kye Fleming|Mark Stephen Cawley|Mary Ann Kennedy}} | length10 = 4:29 | title11 = Beautiful Fool | writer11 = Don Henry | length11 = 4:52 }}
== Personnel == All credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''Love Travels''.<ref name="Liner Notes"/>
{{clear}} {{colbegin|colwidth=22em|small=yes}} * Kathy Mattea – vocals, backing vocals (7) * Bob Halligan Jr. – acoustic piano (1), acoustic guitar (1), backing vocals (1, 6) * Tim Lauer – accordion (1), harmonium (1), synthesizers (4) * Matt Rollings – acoustic piano (2, 3), Hammond B3 organ (2, 3, 8), Wurlitzer electric piano (8, 10) * Lionel Cartwright – acoustic piano (4), backing vocals (4) * Ben Wisch – synthesizers (5, 10, 11) * Bill Cooley – acoustic guitar (1) * Duke Levine – electric guitar (1–4, 10), acoustic guitar (4), slide guitar (8, 9), mandola (9) * Don Potter – acoustic guitar (2–4, 6, 8–10), resonator guitar (10) * John Leventhal – acoustic guitar (5), electric guitar (5), mando-guitar (5), bouzouki (5), bass (5) * Pat Buchanan – electric guitar (6, 7) * Jim Lauderdale – acoustic guitar (7) * George Marinelli – electric guitar (7) * John Jennings – baritone guitar (9) * Phil Keaggy – acoustic guitar (11) * Steve Sturm – pedal steel guitar (1) * Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar (2, 4) * Jerry Douglas – dobro (6) * Stuart Duncan – mandolin (6) * Jonathan Yudkin – mandolin (10) * James "Hutch" Hutchinson – bass (1–4, 6–10) * Edgar Meyer – double bass (11) * Abe Laboriel Jr. – drums (1, 2, 4, 5, 8–10), percussion (1, 5, 10) * Jim Keltner – drums (3, 6, 7), maracas (6), tambourine (7) * Kirby Shelstad – percussion (2, 4, 7, 9) * Farrell Morris – congas (3), shaker (3), tambourine (3) * Hunter Lee – pennywhistle (1), bagpipes (1), digeridoo (9) * Chris Carmichael – fiddle (1), cello (1) * Kirk "Jelly Roll" Johnson – harmonica (6) * Mary Ann Kennedy – backing vocals (1, 8, 10) * Michael McDonald – backing vocals (1, 8, 10) * Donna McElroy – backing vocals (1) * Suzy Wills – backing vocals (1, 3, 9) * Bob Bailey – backing vocals (2) * Kim Fleming – backing vocals (2) * Vicki Hampton – backing vocals (2) * Louis Nunley – backing vocals (2) * Jonatha Brooke – backing vocals (3, 9) * Kathy Chiavola – backing vocals (4) * Suzy Bogguss – backing vocals (5) * Kim Richey – backing vocals (6)
'''Handclaps''' * Chris Carmichael (1) * Bob Halligan Jr. (1) * Tim Lauer (1) * Hunter Lee (1) * Duke Levine (1, 2) * Kathy Mattea (1, 2) * James "Hutch" Hutchinson (2) * Abe Laboriel Jr. (2)
'''Foot taps & knee slaps on "455 Rocket"''' * James "Hutch" Hutchinson * Jim Keltner * Kathy Mattea {{colend}}
=== Production === * Kathy Mattea – producer * Ben Wisch – producer, engineer, mixing, additional overdub engineer * Mark Frigo – assistant engineer * Daniel Leanse – assistant engineer * Steve Regina – mix assistant * Mick Conley – additional overdub engineer * Paul Martin – additional overdub engineer * Chris Rival – additional overdub engineer * Rich Cohan – additional mix assistant * Chris Stone – additional mix assistant * John McGriff – technical assistance * Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York, NY) * Shane Tarleton – production assistant * Jill Dell'Abate – production coordinator * Buddy Jackson – art direction * Jim Kemp – art direction * Karinne Gaulkins – design * Christie Knubel – heart illustration * Russ Harrington – photography * Titley/Spalding & Associates – management
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1997) ! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |- {{album chart|Scotland|71|date=1997-02-02|rowheader=true|access-date=February 18, 2026}} |- {{album chart|UK2|65|date=1997-02-02|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 11, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|121|artist=Kathy Mattea|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 11, 2021}} |- {{album chart|BillboardCountry|15|artist=Kathy Mattea|rowheader=true|accessdate=February 11, 2021}} |}
===Year-end charts=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |- ! scope="col"| Chart (1997) ! scope="col"| Position |- ! scope="row"| US Top Country Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1997/top-country-albums|title=Top Country Albums – Year-End 1997|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=February 11, 2021}}</ref> | 65 |} {{col-end}}
==Release history== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Release history and formats for ''Love Travels'' !scope="col"| Region !scope="col"| Date !scope="col"| Format !scope="col"| Label !scope="col"| Ref. |- ! scope="row"| North America | rowspan="2"| February 4, 1997 | {{hlist|CD|cassette}} | Mercury Records Nashville | <ref name="Liner Notes"/> |- ! scope="row"| United Kingdom | CD | Mercury Records | <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mattea |first1=Kathy |title=''Love Travels'' (CD Information) |journal=Mercury Records |date=February 4, 1997 |id=532 899-2 (United Kingdom)}}</ref> |- ! scope="row"| North America | 2000s–2010s | {{hlist|Music download|streaming}} | Mercury Nashville Records | <ref name="Apple"/> |- |}
==References== {{reflist}} {{Kathy Mattea}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:1997 albums Category:Albums produced by Kathy Mattea Category:Kathy Mattea albums Category:Mercury Nashville albums