Love On The Inside [Deluxe Fan Edition]

I've fallen out of love with contemporary country music lately. There's too much emphasis upon getting people to dance, or pretending you know what "the redneck lifestyle" is like. It's all about the money, as so many third-rate country tunes have declared recently (with the very intention of making that money).

Sugarland is an exception I'm making. Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush are amazing singer/songwriters, who actually (gasp!) EMPHASIZE their talents as singer/songwriters. Take LOVE ON THE INSIDE. We'll discard the first two tracks; how they made it on, I do not know. Let's look at some of the other songs instead. "Steve Earle" is certainly a highlite; songs about actual singers are often hokey or just flat-out unlistenable (note: Tim McGraw's "Kristofferson"), but "Earle" is smart and genuinely witty. "Joey," on the other hand, is one of the darkest songs I've heard in a long time; the chorus is Nettles's plaintive prayer "Joey, I'm so sorry/Oh, can you hear me/Joey, I'm so sorry." "Genevieve" is one of the most original songs I've heard in a long time; it's heavy on the folk/bluegrass, but if you're complaining about that, then just leave now. The rockin' "Take Me As I Am" is a thought-provoking character study ("I'm ain't sayin' I'm perfect, but I promise I'm worth it"), while "Keep You" is a gut-churning number about failing to give up a past love ("He loved me 'til I loved you even more"). Nettles lends a sultry air to her voice as she sings the seductive "What I'd Give" ("What I'd give to make you coffee/Find out how you like your eggs/Wraped around you in the morning/A tangled lace of arms and legs"). The original album closer, "Very Last Country Song," is another smart number, this time one that will mist up your eyes: "If nobody did nobody wrong/If we know what we had before it was gone/If every road led back home/This would be the very last country song."

The DELUXE FAN EDITION has a few more trakcs; of these, "Operation: Working Vacation" is easily the low-point, even with it's smirk-inducing line "Gonna re-define higher education." The two best tracks are the live covers: The Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town" (with Little Big Town and Jake Owen adding un-needed vocals); and Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher." This latter tune features some stellar audience-interaction (Nettles gently works the crowd into contributing to the song's harmonies), and simply has Nettles and Bush with a couple guitars between them. Better than the original, actually.

Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush are both great songwriters in their own right, but they do know how to pick co-writers: Bobby Pinson, Tim Owens, Bill Anderson, and Scooter Carusoe most noteably. Sugarland is one of those rare bands that has acheived both commercial and critical success, and it's not hard to tell why: they have a slick, modern style, but still hold true to the old singer/songwriter tradition. LOVE ON THE INSIDE falters a bit near the beginning, but it rapidly picks itself back up and keeps chugging onwards. A great country/folk/pop album, one that should help set a standard for what contemporary country music can--SHOULD--be.

I've followed SL since the first cd and this is definitely the triumph of the three releases. The maturity in writing to create a positive message and still maintain a radio friendly mix of songs, marks a musical group at the height of their power. Well produced and thoughtfully performed, the only negative is I cannot wait another 18 mo.s or more for new music.

This cd is awesome. Can't say much more than that. There is a great mixture of Country, Bluegrass and everything that makes Jennifer and Kristian the best duo ever!!

Just as they did in the past, Sugarland has succeeded again in creating an entertainingly talented CD. I have listened to it over and over and will continue to do so.

This was bought as Christmas gift for Sugarland fan. I'm sure like all other Sugarland CD's it will be awesome.