07
Jun
2005
Dreams certainly do come true for new country music trio Sugarland, which will play on Saturday, June 11, at Quad City Live. The band's debut album, Twice the Speed of Life, recently went gold and has had two top-15 singles.
The Atlanta-based band's rag-to-riches single "Baby Girl" reached number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and its lyrics seem to foreshadow the group's quick rise from underground to major label.
The song opens with a girl asking her parents to send her just enough money to get her by, but not to worry, "cuz I'm all right, I'm playing here at the bar tonight, well, this time, I'm gonna make our dreams come true." And she most certainly does when she writes home later: "I'll send money, I'm so rich that it ain't funny, well it oughta be more than enough to get you through."
The song is an up-tempo pop-country track featuring lead singer Jennifer Nettles' passionate and twangy voice belting out the story, with her tone matching the mood. Her voice gets more intense in the chorus and lighter while singing of the promises of "fancy cars, diamond rings, and all sorts of shiny things." Bandmates Kristian Bush and Kristen Hall provide harmony vocals in the background.
The three members of Sugarland are not newcomers to the music scene. Guitarist Hall released her first solo album in 1990 and recorded two albums with Windham Hill before pursing songwriting full-time. She's written songs for artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Shawn Colvin. Nettles fronted the Jennifer Nettles Band and performed with Soul Miner's Daughter. The only male band member, mandolinist Bush, released two albums in the 1990s on Atlantic as part of Billy Pilgrim.
Just four months after forming Sugarland, the band began selling out 1,000-seat venues and a couple of weeks after that signed with Mercury Records.
The band has mentioned in some interviews that the first time Nettles, Hall, and Bush played together, Hall was so moved by the music that she left the room in tears. Thankfully, they added, she came back a few minutes later.
The fact that all 11 of the songs on Twice the Speed of Life were written by members of the band also puts Sugarland against the grain of mainstream country. American Songwriter called the album a "high-octane ride that spins through life's cycles."
Sugarland's new single, "Something More," is currently in the top 10. Nettle's energetic vocals pour out with Hall and Bush harmonizing in the background, pushed by the country twang of steel guitar. The lyrics talk of wanting a better life and doing anything to achieve that.
"Baby Girl" just spent its 46th week on the Billboard country singles chart last week, which made it the longest-running single in the history of the monitored chart era. The previous record was held by Diamond Rio's "Beautiful Mess" and by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill's "Let's Make Love," at 45 weeks.
"These fine musicians are a breath of fresh air in the country format and are well-poised for a slid future," wrote Billboard magazine.
Sugarland will perform on Saturday, June 11, at Quad City Live. Tickets are $17, and the show starts at 9 p.m. For more information on the band, visit (http://www.sugarlandmusic.com).
The Atlanta-based band's rag-to-riches single "Baby Girl" reached number two on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart, and its lyrics seem to foreshadow the group's quick rise from underground to major label.
The song opens with a girl asking her parents to send her just enough money to get her by, but not to worry, "cuz I'm all right, I'm playing here at the bar tonight, well, this time, I'm gonna make our dreams come true." And she most certainly does when she writes home later: "I'll send money, I'm so rich that it ain't funny, well it oughta be more than enough to get you through."
The song is an up-tempo pop-country track featuring lead singer Jennifer Nettles' passionate and twangy voice belting out the story, with her tone matching the mood. Her voice gets more intense in the chorus and lighter while singing of the promises of "fancy cars, diamond rings, and all sorts of shiny things." Bandmates Kristian Bush and Kristen Hall provide harmony vocals in the background.
The three members of Sugarland are not newcomers to the music scene. Guitarist Hall released her first solo album in 1990 and recorded two albums with Windham Hill before pursing songwriting full-time. She's written songs for artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Shawn Colvin. Nettles fronted the Jennifer Nettles Band and performed with Soul Miner's Daughter. The only male band member, mandolinist Bush, released two albums in the 1990s on Atlantic as part of Billy Pilgrim.
Just four months after forming Sugarland, the band began selling out 1,000-seat venues and a couple of weeks after that signed with Mercury Records.
The band has mentioned in some interviews that the first time Nettles, Hall, and Bush played together, Hall was so moved by the music that she left the room in tears. Thankfully, they added, she came back a few minutes later.
The fact that all 11 of the songs on Twice the Speed of Life were written by members of the band also puts Sugarland against the grain of mainstream country. American Songwriter called the album a "high-octane ride that spins through life's cycles."
Sugarland's new single, "Something More," is currently in the top 10. Nettle's energetic vocals pour out with Hall and Bush harmonizing in the background, pushed by the country twang of steel guitar. The lyrics talk of wanting a better life and doing anything to achieve that.
"Baby Girl" just spent its 46th week on the Billboard country singles chart last week, which made it the longest-running single in the history of the monitored chart era. The previous record was held by Diamond Rio's "Beautiful Mess" and by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill's "Let's Make Love," at 45 weeks.
"These fine musicians are a breath of fresh air in the country format and are well-poised for a slid future," wrote Billboard magazine.
Sugarland will perform on Saturday, June 11, at Quad City Live. Tickets are $17, and the show starts at 9 p.m. For more information on the band, visit (http://www.sugarlandmusic.com).
