Fans of roots music have asked Patty Loveless for years to reprise the Appalachian sound of her 2001 Mountain Soul CD, and now she has at last. Like its predecessor, Mountain Soul II features Patty’s crystalline country vocals amid bluegrass-tinged instrumentation.

“It’s Appalachian, bluegrass and country combined,” says Patty of her new collection’s sound. “You should never try to duplicate something like Mountain Soul. What you should do is enhance. So this is like a continuation.”

The first Mountain Soul CD was issued in June 2001. As a result of its enthusiastic reception, Patty Loveless was invited to perform on the critically acclaimed “Down From the Mountain” tour. She says that experience introduced her to a whole new audience.

“I was blessed to be able to expose my music to people who normally don’t listen to country music. They loved the more organic, roots-y thing, but they don’t listen to mainstream country. I met quite a few people who told me that. They kept wanting me to try and recapture that sound. They’d say, ‘When are you going to do another record like this? We love this album.’ I guess they kind of talked me into it.”