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Lady Antebellum - Self-titled Album Review
Overall 5.00 of 5
(by 1 user)
Contemporary country gets an old-fashioned kick in the pants
music fanatic, a music lover, a fan of good music
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| Cons |
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APR
15
2008
They've performed together for less than two years, yet, this is a band sounding extremely comfortable with themselves, like they grew up together. In fact, while Charles and Dave are long-time collaborators, they didn't meet Hillary until 2006, when Charles and she ran into each other in a Nashville club. They decided to work together and then brought Dave on board. As they wrote and performed together, they generated a pretty good fan base, partly thanks to MySpace.
Me, I'm always pretty skeptical of any new act with a lot of hype because, often, that hype is generated by record companies and we are set up for a fall. The "next big thing" often turns out to be "A Flock of Seagulls". I've found the best artists often sneak up on us, and we find ourselves wondering "hey! Where did that guy (or gal or group or, whatever) come from?" Well, let me tell you something. In this case, the buzz was well-deserved.
Their first single "Love Don't Live Here", came out smoking. Sounding like Gregg Allman without the heroin, Kelly rails at the ex-girlfriend who had a "change of heart" and wants to come back. He effectively says to her what Robbie tells Linda in "The Wedding Singer". "Hey psycho-we're not gonna discuss this. Its over. Please get out of my Van Halen T-Shirt before you jinx the band and they break up!".
"Looking for a Good Time"- is a true guy song, a typical dude goes to a bar and hits on the hot girl story.Charles and Hillary's vocals complement each other well and a good time is had by all.
After a couple rockers, the next song is more somber. The tear-jerking ballad, "All We'd Ever Need", reflects relationship regret, something we've all experienced. This song proves Kelly and Scott are vocal "soul-mates", making us believe they are the characters in this tune.
"Long Gone" finds Hillary taking lead vocals and taking an "I am woman, hear me roar" tone as she stands up to a manipulator trying to weasel his way back into her life.
"Love's Lookin' Good On You"- The one song on the album NOT written by band members is lookin' good as a future single. Here's a bunch of fun impossible to resist, with just some good ole honky-tonk goodness. Again the the vocals and harmonies are superb.
The entire album is like this, great singers singing fine songs with tight harmonies and excellent production. The trio has taken their inspiration from everything from classic country to 70s soul and come up with a winning combination of country-rock, soul, blues and point-blank honest lyrics. The rockers rock and the ballads mesmerize. All of this is topped off with a final song that encourages hope and having faith in yourself.
It's impossible to know for sure, because some acts hit the road running only to wheeze their way to a finish line not of their choosing. Some started modestly, (Tim McGraw jokes his first album certified "wood" and I guarantee you can't tell me the name of Shania's first album without "Googling" it) and became huge stars. If I had to place my bet today, though, I'd say its entirely possible Lady Antebellum will one day supplant Rascal Flatts as the hottest country band on the planet. GRADE: A
Last edited on Apr 16, 2008
Lady Antebellum - Self-titled Album is recommended by MikeMaroon
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