The first time I heard of sugarland was because of Jennifer Nettles (Sugarlands front singer) duet with one of my favourite bands, Bon Jovi. After hearing the song, I went out and downloaded the music video and loved it. The song was “Who Says You Cant Go Home”, and I personally love the duet much more than Bon Jovi’s original version. Apart from that though, I knew very little about Sugarland. That was until I listened to the “So Country” Complimation. “So Country” had a song called “Stay” by Sugarland, and was actually one of the songs on the DVD. As soon as I saw the video I recognised Jennifer Nettles, and after listening to the song I felt compelled to research them further. The song was terribly sad, but rather than just a sad song, you could actually hear the sadness in Jennifer’s voice. It was incredibly moving and compelling. So, after a short internet search I found they had two CD’s out, which are not easy to get so I had to order them.
The most recent CD from Sugarland is “Enjoy the Ride”, however personally I enjoyed their first CD “Twice the Speed of Life” more. I struggled to buy both of these CD’s even though they are fairly recent, and once again I must be onto an up and coming band because just weeks after I bought “Enjoy the Ride” it got re-released with the bonus track “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” with Bon Jovi, and its now in every country and new release shelf in every music store.
Sugarlands sound it typically country, and that nasal sound that I have mentioned before is Jennifer’s signature sound, and she pulls it off better than I have ever heard before. Their first CD “Twice the Speed of Life” is upbeat and has that sunny emotional quality that I have previously mentioned was my favourite aspect of the country genre. The trio are well harmonised and balanced and sing songs that you can really relate to. Songs about hard times with no money and big dreams. Something everyone feels but rarely articulates well. Each song has an intense sing-a-long vibe too. There are some songs that you just listen to and some that you belt out, and these are definitely the latter, which helps to further reinforce the playful feeling that they seem to give out.
Their second CD is quite a bit different. By the second CD, the groups founder Kristen Hall had departed, and I don’t know if this was the cause of the change but one would assume that It would have to have something to do with it. “Enjoy the Ride” still starts off with the upbeat and sunshine songs of the previous CD but then it goes into a much slower tempo of music with more sensitive melodies and a more methodical approach.
I find the differing tempos of each of the CDs quite ironic. The first CD with its happy and sunshine appeal has a very dark and cloudy blue cover, where as the second CD with the dark methodical sound has a bright and colourful cover. Generally I think the covers should imitate the sound of the CD’s and I find it quite weird that in this case it’s the opposite. However, they do say not to judge a book by its cover, or a CD by its case in this instance, so we cant really be expected to judge the music based on this shallow concept.
After listening to both CD’s, Sugarland has succeeded in recruiting a new fan. I absolutely love their music and would love to see them live. I have seen a few of their live performances on the internet, mainly from Country Music Television and mostly accompanying Bon Jovi, but I have to say they put on a great show. They are so lively and energetic on stage. But, unfortunately for me, they have just finished a live show in Australia, so there goes that idea for now. They recently played at Thredbo’s concert “CMC Rocks the Snowys” on Friday the 14th of March, so apparently it’s not just me that knows and loves them. They played alongside other bands such as the John Butler Trio (which I don’t really consider a country band, but that’s OK), Adam Harvey, Shannon Noll and Steve Ford.
After reading more about Sugarland I have found that they are one of Americas up and coming bands. “Twice the Speed of Life” went double platinum, and “Enjoy the Ride” debuted at #4 on the US Billboard 200 and #2 on the US Country Charts. They also received an award recently for breakthrough favourite new artist in the American music awards. Personally, I totally agree. Its not very often that I instantly fall in love with a band or a sound but in this case, I made an exception. And what drew me in the most? Well, weirdly enough, it was the nasal sound that I once hated. Jennifer’s voice along with the sunny and rocky tones of the music makes for a winning combination.
By Jacki Tipton
