Dre started Dre and the Collective in her hometown of Tampa, where intitally she drew on the musical roots of that town, and started out as an 11 piece band. But, after writing, playing, and being influenced by her musician friends in the acoustic music community, it has settled into a smaller group with a Soulful Folk sound. Dre says, “I wanted to draw on the Westcoast Folk sounds that came out of Laurel Canyon, blend it with my voice and Swedish musical heritage…as well as the Gospel sounds of my youth.” She has been described as a "hard folk" artist, willing to tackle subjects that are emotional and thought provoking, presented in soft melodies and harmonies, surrounded by soulful acoustic instrumentation. 
Dre's collective is a cast of rotating musicians, depending on who's available to play. On any given day, it can include members of the Royal Family of Bluegrass–Ronnie McCoury (mandolin) and Rob McCoury (banjo), along with their band mates Jason Carter and Alan Bartram. Cody Kilby, of Ricky Skaggs fame, has lent his guitar picking fingers on many occasions, as well as arranging and co-production, along with Shane Theriot (Hall & Oates, Neville Brothers). The always present member of the group is percussionist and drummer, Joseph Interrante from Tampa, who keeps the music flow grounded and centered. 
According to Dre, "There's nothing really new under the sun...it's really just about how much you use of what's already around you to create something new. I draw from past sounds that move me, mix it with my point of view, voice, passions, experiences...and hopefully the combination makes for something engaging and emotional for the listener.