Hailey Whitters confirmed her position as a recording artist with intent in 2020 via the release of THE DREAM. This, her second album, tracked a well-trodden journey from long term jobbing songwriter to one firmly fixed in the spotlight. The twelve track album detailed the evolution process from the awakening expressed in the critically acclaimed opener 'Ten Year Town' to the summarising closer 'Living The Dream'. Twelve months on, and buoyed by the spirit of the sentiment in the title of the last track, the story is updated with five additional songs forming a deluxe edition.
Whereas 'Living the Dream' - the track - crowned the writing partnership of Hailey Whitters and her mentor Lori McKenna, LIVING THE DREAM - the deluxe album - sees Whitters move into a recording partnership with some of the biggest names in country music. Many of the new tracks emerge from previous associations with one surprise legendary performer also stepping in to lend a hand.
Trisha Yearwood topped the country charts while Hailey Whitters was still in her toddler years, but the generations have been conclusively bridged with the collaboration 'How Far Can It Go?' emerging as the pick of the additional tracks. The song is so reminiscent of Yearwood's classic single 'She's in Love with the Boy' and if it achieves only a fraction of the success there then it will go very far.
All but one of the new tracks have been released as singles in advance of the official deluxe version launch. The exception ironically being 'How to Break a Heart' where the partnership is once again with Lori McKenna, although this time it extends into a trio with another stellar name from Nashville songwriting circles throwing her hat into the mix in Hillary Lindsey.
Whitters wrote ten of the twelve songs on THE DREAM, borrowing Chris Stapleton's 'The Devil Always Made Me Think Twice' and Brent Cobb's 'Loose Strings'. The work from the latter is also called into action in the new songs with Cobb both solely writing and adding vocals to 'Glad to be Here'. The work with Cobb gives the tracks a more soulful roots feel to juxtapose the bouts of brash country pop and sincere soul searching song writing.
The brashness unabatedly reveals itself in the Little Big Town collaboration 'Fillin' My Cup'. This bouncy, catchy, boot scootin' piece is straight out the late 90s Shania Twain playbook. It reconnects Whitters with the chart topping trio after they cut and made a hit of 'Happy People'. You can find Whitters' version of this song on THE DREAM.
The final additional track to bring LIVING THE DREAM up to full complement is 'The Ride' featuring Jordan Davis, which was one of the first of the new set sent out into the digital world to test the waters of this deluxe project being deemed a hit. How fans embrace this release is likely to be indicative to the ways music is consumed in 2021. Streaming and digitally cherry picking the additions are there alongside fans refreshing their copy of THE DREAM with LIVING THE DREAM. However if you are new to Hailey Whitters you have the delight of getting up to speed with her story in one detailed place.