Now that Brooks & Dunn have "retired", it seems as if Sugarland have become the heir apparent to the top country duo crown. Granted, the twosome of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush have been sharply rising in popularity in their half decade career, transforming from regular working class trio on their underrated debut (and best album of their career) to a glamorous stadium filling act with a strong presence on radio. However, with that extra presence comes extra pressure, as each successive album has piled on more and more clichés and gimmicky tunes in favor of quality music.
There's still a little bit of "old" Sugarland left in the tank, however, as Love on the Inside, released last July, shines brightest when the tempo slows down. What I'd Give has little bits of blues embedded into the delicate guitars and sturdy drums that show another side to the duo that is quite becoming. Nettles's drawl and smoldering presence serve the song well, giving it an extra bit of texture that the impressive melody deserves; it simply wouldn't work as well had someone else performed the song. It's vulnerable, subtle, and should be one of the tracks they take from the record to serve as a basis for their upcoming fourth album. Keep You reminds me of Stay, arguably the duo's signature song to date. Stark and oh so emotional, it sounds like a Lee Ann Womack song circa 2005 with that kind of "desperate housewife" mentality presented in the smothered lyrics. It works better on the mostly acoustic first couple of minutes than the explosive hook but is a truly naked listen nonetheless. Keep You may not have reached the gut wrenching lows of Stay but this is one of their more genuine listens. I have to give a lot of props to Very Last Country Song for being such a creative way to comment on the genre. Told through the eyes of an older woman looking back to the past, it takes a topic that could have caused some serious eye rolling and truly turns it on its head. With its still serenity and touching ambiance, it's an affecting listen that is completely sold by Nettles and her nuanced performance. A lot of songs about country music are really ham fisted and obvious, but Very Last has the intelligence and respect for the genre to present it for its universal themes and not the polarizing aspects.
I ended up getting the deluxe edition that was released the actual first week the album was out instead of waiting six months and then tacking on an additional track. Instead, I got five songs and, honestly, they could have been placed on the real record and replaced some of the lesser tracks. Life in a Northern Town features Little Big Town and Jake Owen and was a surprise hit for the three artists. A cover of the song by The Dream Academy from the mid 1980s, this is one of those nostalgia songs that actually have a lot of heart to it as opposed to being manipulative and condescending. There are seven people on the song and they all mesh so well; the song never sounds bloated and the lead vocals are spread throughout the ensemble. Operation: Working Vacation is a song that would normally irritate me but it's too infectious to dismiss. With some 60s beach tinges that are intriguing, it differentiates itself on the record quickly, a working man's anthem that extols the virtues of sunshine and letting go once in a while. It's nothing substantial and will merely go down as a footnote of a footnote on Sugarland's career biography, but it's a pleasant, happy song that's perfect for a summer mixtape.
However, for all the wonderfulness of those three tracks (and the surprisingly solid deluxe tracks), we still have some tracks that needed to step their game up. It Happens just feels like a big stereotype. From the laundry list of bad things that can happen to you in a day told in a rose-colored glasses kind of way to the abhorrently immature hook (add a shhhhhh and a pause before saying the title), it's everything that country music shouldn't be. The tempo helps its listenability in terms of being catchy and pretty instantly hummable, but when you realize the weirdly pessimistic message (there's no "but it's okay, you can make it!" moral to the story) and the generic sound, it makes it that much worse. We Run just doesn't register with me whatsoever, which is its main fault. It's just kind of there, the most obvious album filler on Love on the Inside. Granted, the faux bluegrass instrumentation has a little bit of potential, but the melody just idles and some of the lyrical imagery is a little tired. I'm all for songs about getting the heck out of dodge and starting anew (a topic that country music covers fairly frequently), but they don't approach the topic in any new way. It's pleasant but you'll forget Run is on the album by the time the next song starts. Already Gone may do the whole "I've got to get out of this town" theme better than the previous song but it's still nothing special. It sounds too much like an outtake from their first album instead of a natural progression from their early days. I prefer older Sugarland music but I want them to take that essence and put it in a 2010 context. If you've heard a Sugarland song before, you've pretty much got this song covered, honestly.
I'm not going to sit here and say that I hate the last Sugarland studio album and that I've completely written them off as a viable duo. I am, however, a little concerned as the originality and quality of each record have shrunk as their commercial success has risen. I don't begrudge anybody doing well; I just wish that the Sugarland from 2004 was still present in some form or fashion in 2010. Love suffers from inconsistency and moments of being extremely bland, as they slide in songs that feel like retreads of past material and fit the current mold as to what Nashville wants their stars to sound like. When Nettles drops the accent (and subsequently the façade), it makes the record that much better, especially on such intriguing (at times) material. It's not perfect (it's barely passable, honestly), but this record has enough love in its heart to be worth at least a few individual downloads.
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