Madeline Christy reviews Lady Antebellum‘s eighth studio album ‘Ocean,’ released last Friday to critical acclaim.
Lady Antebellum’s eighth studio album ‘Ocean’ was one of the most hotly anticipated albums of 2019. Their seventh album ‘Heart Break’ took the direction of the band’s sound in a wholly new direction, and so fans and critics alike were curious to see the sonic tone that this project would take. As Charles Kelley said, this album truly does take the band back to their ‘Need You Now’ roots, but also the album tests the borders of the country genre while still having the taste of ‘American Honey’. While the trio have never shied away from life’s ups and downs, there is a greater sense of vulnerability to this record in tracks such as ‘Let It Be Love’ and the albums title track ‘Ocean.’ The entire record shows a huge amount of thought into the craft of the project as a journey and story for the listener – creating a masterpiece to listen to.
We first heard ‘What If I Never Get Over You’ at this year’s C2C festival in London, and back then the audience was captivated by the track even before its release. It is a perfect opener for the album and is well-positioned as a possible sequel to their debut pop cross over hit ‘Need You Now’. While it seems that they’re opening the album with an unfinished journey, it acts as a great segue to the hopeless romantic stories yet to come on the album. Dave’s bright rhythmic guitar truly drives the bold opener, while Charles and Hillary’s smooth harmonies candidly show that the band are back with a punch, veering into new territory while still retaining all the elements that made Lady Antebellum successful in the first place.
The next track takes a turn into sentimental, with Hilary taking the lead to sing about looking through some old ‘Pictures’ of a love that lasted as long as a camera flash. It’s the first time that the band have experimented with a Thomas-Rhett kind of funk, since 2013’s Downtown, and there’s no complaint from us. The song’s instrumentation masks a rose-coloured tint across the sad stories behind the smiling pictures and while the song sounds like a chilled summer hit, the lyrics speak of a love that ‘was sad, it was tragic, we sure looked happy in pictures’. This is nostalgic sentiment at its finest.
For the next track ‘Crazy Love,’ the band mix in a strand of bluegrass. Dave’s musicianship shines through in this track, with tender use of banjo and mandolin in this happy, upbeat song that is bound to be a hit with country couples. The song speaks of growth and pays homage to the bands journey since the success of their hits such as ‘Run To You’ and ‘Our Kind Of Love’. Charles’ vulnerability in lyrics such as ‘You could see right through the boy and see a man’ cuts through the front porch instrumentation and adds depth to the more stripped-back song.
Continuing with the funk, ‘You Can Do You,’ is a swampy, slide guitar-driven track that swaggers and is definitely the most fun song on the album. It doesn’t matter if you’re the ‘life of the party, wall flower’ or not even a country fan – this is definitely a song that will get you dancing ‘a little wilder’. It’s an enthralling sight to see of the band who are usually not known for party songs, however they pull it off more than well and we hope to hear this track when the band finally announce the album’s tour.
Hilary’s fine vocals ring through on ‘What I’m Leaving For’, and direct the spotlight to their families – a tenderly written song that speaks of the band’s love for their family. It’s a missing home lullaby and while the drums are brushed and the strings are gentle, the lyrics are heavy with destiny and gratefulness of how they all ‘picked the right stars, made the right wish’.
Track six is another track played at C2C – ‘Be Patient with My love.’ This track has the most colourful instrumental palette out of all of the tracks on the album. The song brings out the hopeless in hopeless romantic. The band have always seemed to be able to balance moments of solo shine throughout their career and in this track we hear Charle’s exploration with elements of Mississippi gospel and disrobed pride as he sings ‘I’m comin’ back/Like holy redemption/I’m comin’ back to the man that I was’. After Charles’ song, we turn to Hilary’s spotlight and again revisit bluegrass in ‘Alright’. It’s a pop infused track with summer brightness and is a pick me up for anyone ‘running low on caffeine’. We don’t usually see such a boppy side to Hilary’s solos, following ‘It Ain’t Pretty’ and ‘Bartender’ which both depict heartbreak. Instead we hear for the first time a ‘shake it off’ carefree Hilary who has clearly grown with confidence.
‘Let It Be Love’ adds a whole new level of exposure to the band as they address their egos and flaws. ‘I forget I’m just one drop in a big old sea’ rings echoes of ‘Hello World’ but is navigated by powerful, soulful piano, which lifts the track up. The band send a message of a love that has ‘power to rise up, the well that never drys up’ and is a spine-tingling ensemble.
‘On A Night Like This’ takes us to a neon bar-Billy Joel gospel. The moonlit song is accompanied by a country orchestra and lays sentiment on thick. It’s a great contrast to the previous songs on the album so far, and it adds some sparkle to a heavy and reflective album. It doesn’t quite have the same high school sweetheart notion as ‘Dancing away with My Heart’, but shows a maturity to fledged love.
If you plan a road trip this summer be sure to add ‘Boots’ to your soundtrack. Led by Joplin-esque tambourine and harmonica, this toe-tapping tempo track is sure to get your boots stomping along to ‘these boots are walking out on you, they ain’t got no running left to do’. Having the widest mix in the album, the panning is literally oceans wide, and helps to support the image of the great unknown and travel.
Over the years, Lady Antebellum have built a close relationship with fellow country group Little Big Town. ‘The Things That Wreck You’ showcases a new dark side to both artists. The hazy guitar glooms over ‘you’re a bird in flight, to a house of flames’ and digs deeper into themes of self sabotage and forces you to take off your rose coloured glasses. Dave’s distorted reverb electric guitar helps cut through the darker haze of the track, and Little Big Town’s signature harmonies fit seamlessly with that always exhibited by Charles and Hilary.
The albums leading single and title track creates a circular ending to the works as the members accept ‘I’m not going to drown… youre an ocean beautiful and blue’ and gives the impression of walking into and owning the storm. It is undeniable that the band have travelled to undiscovered states in the country genre. While revisiting their roots, they have incorporated elements of funk and modern pop, all the while diving to seabed depths through honesty and experimentation. The result is a masterpiece of modern experimentation and Lady Antebellum’s signature, traditional country sound.
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Editor’s Pick Tracks:
The Things That Wreck You (ft.Little Big Town)
Crazy Love
Boots
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