Thoughts from the Producer
Lonnie Ratliff

Somebody's Angel

1. Big City: I think everyone loves this Merle Haggard song, especially musicians, and nowadays you have almost as many women out there working for a living as there are men so it just seemed right to record this one.

2. Fool #1: This has always been a favorite song of mine. It seemed to be a natural for Erin.

3. Take Me Home Country Roads: It is always scary to try to record a well known standard. Wasn't exactly sure how to approach this one, but as soon as the piano player came up with that little riff, I felt like we were in the ballpark. After it spent over a year at the top of the MP3.com charts, I was convinced we must have done all right.

4. Somebody's Angel: I guess everyone who has ever been in love has felt like each character in this song at one time or another. When Erin sings "Somebody's Angel," it takes me back down an old familiar road we all call memory lane. It doesn't seem to matter if I was planning on heading down that road or not. If that happens to you, it means we got it right.

5. Walkin' The Floor Over You: I had always thought the lyrics to this song were perfect for a female artist.

6. Faded Love: We tried to get a more country feel than a Patsy Cline feel on this Bob Wills classic. I remember telling Erin since Bob Wills was so popular in Oklahoma and Texas, if we didn't get a good cut, I would never be able to go back home to Oklahoma. We played it for a few Texans and Okies when it was finished, and they approved, so we figured that was good enough, so it made this album.

7. Givin' Old Memories Away: This is country music the way it was meant to be.

8. Cry Like Memphis: This is a great song any way you look at it. It also reminds me of why I have always thought Erin was such a great singer. This song almost begs a singer to show off what they can do vocally, but instead of giving in to the temptation, Erin interprets the song like the songwriters wrote it, leaving the listener with the realization they have been moved by both a song and a singer instead of listening to someone practice vocal acrobatics and still not having any idea what the heck the song was about.

9. Among My Souvenirs: This may be my favorite cut on this album. Depends on what day you ask me.

10. Ode To Billy Joe: One of my all time favorite songs. Erin got the final vocal on this one in the studio in one take. We worked on the track for a few weeks and if I remember right it was her idea to put the dobro on it that finally made everything work. Well at least I get credit for picking the song.

11. The Tree: I remember we went back and forth trying to decide to either cut this song or one called "Carter County Sky." We finally went with "The Tree" and thought we got a pretty good cut on it. Sent it to Gary Bradshaw, and he thought it was one of the best we had ever cut and thought it should be the next single. Glad we listened to Gary.

12. Poor Folks (Duet with Ernie Ashworth:) For a duet to work, I believe it is at least 90% dependent on what song you pick. We had great luck with Ernie & Erin on "Gotta Travel On," and I was always listening for another song that would work with their voices. This song fit the bill, plus it is about as country as cornbread, which was another plus.

13. Oklahoma Hills: Western Swing is a hard genre of music to get a great cut on. It is so dependent on the singer's voice fitting with that particular feel. It is a lot easier to miss than it is to hit. After we had cut "Bad Luck" on Erin's first CD, it was easy to hear that her way of singing fit the Hank Thompson style of Western Swing more than it did the Bob Wills style. There is a difference. You may have to be from Oklahoma or Texas to pick it out, but it is there. Anyway, we decided to cut "Oklahoma Hills," which was a big Hank Thompson hit, and although we thought of doing it as a duet, the track just worked so well with Erin singing it by herself, that we left it alone.

14. Seed Catalog: This is a song I wrote with Tom Mitchell. Although I have never pushed my songs to Erin, I am proud when she decides to cut one. I was surprised she even considered this tune. It is not your typical Erin Hay song. The song is pretty much a true story, although it didn't all happen to one person. I just pieced it together from things I saw and stories I heard. I remember at the end of winter we would always get a sales magazine that had all kinds of garden and flower seeds people could order for spring planting. I also remember staying with my Great Grandma when I was 6 years old and how she would always meet the mailman when he came by her house with the mail. I remember how excited she would be when she got a card or letter from one of her kids and how disappointed she was when she didn't. When there was no personal mail, she just read all the junk mail as if it was of importance. I got a couple of things out of watching my Grandma Ratliff waiting for the mailman. I made sure I always sent my mom letters and called her every week for as long as she lived and I also got this song.

15. Don't Worry: Love this cut. It is mostly Erin just doing a great job of singing, but I did come up with the idea of using the steel guitar to play the Dwayne Eddy type licks on the low strings.

16. Farther Along: Hands down, my favorite gospel song. Hands down, my favorite version.