On Golden, Lady Antebellum offers up a slick new image and a slightly different sound, while still maintaining their status as today's cheeriest, sweetest sounding country-pop group without becoming too sugary and bubblegum for the sake of being popular.
As always, below is the track-by-track review of the album:
1. "Get To Me:" This is a good song to kick off the album. It mostly focuses on Hillary's vocals (like most Lady Antebellum songs) but it's fun, simple and fits the band's signature sound perfectly. The right kind of song for the start of summer!
2. "Goodbye Town": Goodbye Town is confirmed to be the second single from the album following, Downtown. And it's a good decision, because Goodbye Town is a perfect choice. It gives us everything we love about Lady Antebellum and more. Hillary and Charles' vocals blend perfectly on this track. Thematically, it recalls their previous hits Wanted You More and Just A Kiss, but still manages to hold its own. Sure to be a hit for the band.
3. "Nothing Like the First Time": One of those sentimental, reminiscent Lady Antebellum songs that wouldn't seem out of place on a Taylor Swift album. It's sweet and has a lovely chorus that I found myself humming much later.
4. "Downtown": Since Downtown was the first single from this album, released a few months back, chances are you've heard this hit already. Personally, I thought it was a different direction for Lady Antebellum. And not in a bad way. Hillary Scott almost sounds like a different person- I never thought she could do something spunky and sassy like she does on this track. Clearly, she had a great time recording this song. It's uptempo, urban and very modern, fitting the country crossover theme nicely.
5. "Better Off Now (That You're Gone)": Who knew breakup songs could be so much fun? On this upbeat, optimistic song, we get a great new point of view on what's usually a depressing experience. One of the highlights on this album!
6. "It Ain't Pretty": One of the slower songs on the album, and a standout for it's clear, heartfelt delivery by Hillary Scott. It's mature, laden with guilt and kind of sad, especially when Scott sings, "I'm ready for the walk of shame".
7. "Can't Stand The Rain": A pleasant love song about being there for the person you love. It's airy, summery and has enough substance to work. I liked that the focus was on Charles Kelley's vocals for a change.
8. "Golden": The title song is a gentle ballad honoring that someone special in your life. One of my personal favorites, mainly because it's meaningful and sincere. The stripped down arrangement (mostly just guitar) makes this song a beauty.
9. "Long Teenage Goodbye": Another one of those nostalgic Lady Antebellum country songs, much in the vein of their hit American Honey. I like it because of its theme of young love and carefree youth.
10. "All For Love": Charles' vocals- 10/10. I've never heard him singing in his full range before, so that alone makes this song memorable. This ballad doesn't really match up to the standards set by the group's similar hits Need You Now and Wanted You More but is really a memorable track.
11. "Better Man": I love the traditional instrumentation and style of this song which hearkens back to good ol' feel-good country music. The song is about being a better man thanks to someone's love and blends Hillary and Charles' vocals perfectly.
12. "Generation Away": The album closer, and a good one. It's fun, upbeat and spunky, and is about dreaming big and making memories to last. Perfect.
The album cover marks a different direction for Lady Antebellum, ditching the band's previous logo and going for a more shiny, polished feel over the earlier rustic, raw image of their first few albums. Image aside, not much has changed musically. Apart from a couple of songs displaying a new direction, most of the album sounds like your typical Lady Antebellum show. This album turns out to be a bigger mainstream crossover attempt than their previous albums but at the same time, the original country flavor is still very much there.
While the first half of the album was amazing, I found the second half a little boring and having songs too similar to one another. Overall, it's a sweet, charming, pleasant sounding album, and you'll find your foot tapping along more than once. The performance of Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley, on the other hand, lifts this album from the no-brainer "Good" status, to "Great". This is definitely one of the major country releases of the year, so pick this one up. This is quite literally, a golden addition to your collection.
Best Songs: "Goodbye Town", "Downtown", "Better Off Now (That You're Gone)", "It Ain't Pretty", "Golden", "Generation Away"
RATING: ★★★★