Lucky to be a Lady

Coming seemingly out of nowhere, Lady Antebellum has recently taken the country-music world by storm. The trio, made up of Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood has already been nominated for “Top New Group” at the 2008 Academy of Country Music Awards. They’ve served as the opener for Martina McBride’s 2008 tour and have also opened for acts such as Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney and Carrie Underwood.

The trio invokes a contemporary country sound and they seem intent on making sure the energy level is somewhat high throughout their self-titled album. In fact, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” “Things People Say” and “All We’d Ever Need” are the only thoroughly slow songs on the entire 11-track set.

The slower songs aren’t terrible, but it’s apparent that they’re more comfortable using faster-paced, upbeat styles where Scott and Kelley can use their talented voices to create a gentle, crisp harmony. The lead singers easily transition between being lead and backup vocalist throughout the album. Each singer is capable of effectively commanding a song.

Their hit single, “Love Don’t Live Here,” which is on the verge of cracking the top 10 on the country charts, opens the self-titled album. Like most debut albums, there’s a reason it’s the opening song and the first released single: It’s the best song on the album, being both ridiculously catchy and having the best lyrics. “You have the nerve to just waltz right in and think what’s mine is yours again,” Kelley sings about a girlfriend who broke up with him and wants him back.

That being said, “Lookin’ For A Good Time,” which immediately follows the opening track, is actually more of a fun song to listen to and would undoubtedly be the best song to play at a bar.

The rest of the album follows a pretty generic country routine of including a few upbeat tracks followed by a token ballad, which is fine, but a little tired. Luckily for listeners (and to the band’s credit), the tracks within this routine are still catchy and satisfying.

As a guy who doesn’t listen to country often, Lady Antebellum deserves a lot of credit for making a fan of me. And for the country music world, a word of advice: Keep your eyes on this group.