...nothing but a dream is a studio album recorded by Australian singer-songwriter, Paul Kelly. It was released on 13 August 2001 via EMI Records, and peaked at No. 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart and No. 46 on the Official New Zealand Music Chart. It was also released in the United States on Cooking Vinyl and included four tracks from Kelly's earlier extended play, Roll on Summer (2000). In Australia and New Zealand the album provided three singles, "Somewhere in the City" (July 2001), "Love Is the Law" (October) and "If I Could Start Today Again" (January 2002).
Two days before the album appeared Kelly had issued a five-track EP, Paul Kelly Exclusive CD, which was provided free with The Weekend Australian Magazine – it has two tracks, "The Pretty Place" and "Somewhere in the City", from the album. It was the first CD to be included with an Australian newspaper magazine, although this did cause problems with home deliveries, with many subscribers missing out. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2002 ...nothing but a dream won Best Adult Contemporary Album for Kelly and he was nominated for Best Male Artist.
Reception
AllMusic's Jason MacNeil rated the US version of ...nothing but a dream at four-out-of-five stars and explained, "the songs speak of a certain longing and asking for redemption, but are dominantly roots pop arrangements." He observed, "An added bonus is the four additional tracks from a previously released EP, with the funky duet of 'Roll on Summer' being the high point of the lot." Newton described the track, "Would You Be My Friend", where Mick Harvey is "handling guitar, organ, bass, and drums" as a "soothing" rendition. except where noted
| title1 = If I Could Start Today Again
| length1 = 2:51
| title2 = Change Your Mind
| length2 = 4:17
| title3 = Midnight Rain
| writer3 = Wendy Matthews, Paul Kelly
| length3 = 4:50
| title4 = Close My Eyes
| length4 = 4:51
| title5 = Somewhere in the City
| length5 = 3:16
| title6 = Just About to Break
| length6 = 3:57
| title7 = Love Is the Law
| length7 = 4:51
| title8 = Pretty Place
| length8 = 2:46
| title9 = I Wasted Time
| length9 = 2:47
| title10 = Would You Be My Friend?
| length10 = 2:59
| title11 = Smoke Under the Bridge
| length11 = 4:28