The Innocent Years is the tenth studio album by American country music singer Kathy Mattea. It was released on May 16, 2000. It was her last album for Mercury Records, a label Mattea had been with since 1984. After that album's release, Mattea left Mercury Records. The album includes the singles "The Trouble with Angels" and "BFD".[1] Mattea produced the entire album with Ben Wisch except for "I Have Always Loved You", which she produced with Keith Stegall.[2] The album itself charted at No. 35 on Top Country Albums.[3]

The Innocent Years
Studio album by Kathy Mattea
Released	May 16, 2000 (2000-05-16)
Genre	Country
Length	46:35
Label	Mercury Nashville
Producer	Mattea Keith Stegall Ben Wisch
Kathy Mattea chronology
Love Travels (1997) The Innocent Years (2000) Roses (2002)

Critical reception

Eli Messinger of Country Standard Time wrote that "Though the smooth sound and heart-on-her-sleeve lyrics may not be for the country roots fan (nor the cynically-minded, for that matter), Mattea's superb voice and mature readings are clearly the work of an accomplished artist chasing her musical muse."[4]

Track listing

1. "The Innocent Years" (Mattea, Jon Vezner, Sally Barris) - 3:56
2. "Trouble with Angels" (Terry Wilson) - 4:35
3. "Why Can't We" (Danny Orton, Russell Smith) - 4:13
4. "Prove That by Me" (Jack Routh, Randy Sharp) - 4:57
5. "Callin' My Name" (Mattea, Vezner, Barris) - 4:06
6. "Out of the Blue" (Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Charlie Black) - 3:16
7. "I Have Always Loved You" (Dan Hill, Tommy Lee James) - 4:29
8. "(Love Is) My Last Word" (Monty Powell, Shannon Brown) - 3:56
9. "Trust Me" (Vezner, Steve Wariner) - 4:54
10. "That's the Deal" (Hugh Prestwood) - 3:55
11. "The Innocent Years (Reprise)" (Mattea, Vezner, Barris) - 0:43
12. "BFD" (Craig Carothers, Don Henry) - 3:13

References