Lady Antebellum’s new album, Heart Break is now with us, following on from multiple platinum albums before it, but will the new album leave us needing them now or running to someone else?
Like many country music legends before them, Lady Antebellum was formed in Nashville, Tennessee by Hillary Scott (daughter of country star Linda Davis), Charles Kelley (brother to singer-songwriter Josh Kelley) and Dave Heywood (no musical pedigree but an exceptional multi-instrumentalist in his own right).
The band may not be quite as well known on this side of the Atlantic but on their side of the pond, they’ve charted up three platinum albums with their first trio of releases and nine number one singles. Possibly the best known (and certainly the most chart-topping) is Need You Now, which sat at the peak for five weeks and even garnered an excellent punk cover from Sparks The Rescue.
The new album Heart Break follows on from these giant hits, but has a far more mellow feel than a lot of their previous work. The album jumps right into gear with Heart Break, the title song. Despite the name of the song, it’s a misnomer. The song itself is about taking a break from relationships overall and having some time being single for oneself. It’s a simplistic, poppy country song with Scott’s unmistakable ‘twang’. The song is well structured by placing backing “ooooh” vocals between the words “heart” and “break” to further emphasise the meaning of the song.
Later in the album, we come across Think About You. We see far more of the pop-led positivity that we see in the title track and almost looks like a new direction in emotion from Lady A. The band is on excellent form with an exciting, guitar-led riff with a catchy hook that shows how the band are still well ahead of the pack when they come up against the more manufactured country derivatives (think Carly Rae Jepsen).
Despite two belting tracks that stick to a more independent and positive outlook in relationships, it wouldn’t be Lady A, nor country music in general, without something in a more minor key. Hurt is a soft, heartfelt, piano-led song. The song is the total opposite to the positivity of Heart Break. The title minces no words in the emotion behind the song. Imagery such as “You’re a carnival/On a summer’s night/Gone too soon…and the wasteland you leave behind” is powerful and evocative of the pain that one of the members has clearly felt at some point. Strings weave amongst the piano and gently plucked guitar with soft drums punctuating the vocal harmonies. Somebody Else’s Heart is a more soulful, contemporary ballad sung with the usual gorgeous harmonies of the two singers, but nevertheless, a real juxtaposition to the title song. The song weaves the story of two friends who can’t seem to make it work together despite their best efforts. It’s a touching one, and shows off the well-honed ability of the two singers and that time together as a band lends a very real, personal nature to the songs they form together.
You Look Good is another example of Scott and Kelley’s vocal mastery. The song, with backing brass and a fatter guitar riff give the song less of the country vibe we’re used to with the band and lends it a more jazzy, almost big band feel with percussive claps and a strong bass guitar throughout.
Good Time To Be Alive is another adage to the big band/60’s RnB feel that the band blends so well into their more contemporary country body. The song is summery and simple. Move past the almost dull lyrics however, and you’re left with some really impressive Leann Rimes’ worthy vocals from Hilary Scott.
Heart Break is the seventh studio album by American country pop trio Lady Antebellum.
However solid most of the album is, it is not without its weaker points. Nashville by nature as well as by location, the band appear to have been rushed through Music City on a few of the last tracks on the album. This City and Army are simple to a fault and feel like filler material amongst the stronger tracks. Lyrically, they are borderline nonsensical with poorer imagery and less straightforward than we would expect from the band.
Famous, however, is a little bit of a hidden gem, tucked away at the end of the album. It’s a cautionary song about the dangers of fame – the potential loss it can cause, the damaging side – all encompassed within a mix of slide guitars, picked mandolin and Scott’s wrenching vocals that manage to make the song feel far more intimate than the rest of the album. It’s an excellent note to close on and sends a nod to the small-time country band that they once were.
Overall, the album is solid with the high quality that you’d expect from the band. Whilst the album itself may not be platinum cover to cover, there’s definitely a couple of singles in there that could follow suit with their previous work.
Author: Steve, Southgate Store
