Lady Antebellum ‘Owns the Night’

Art By Theresa Wang

 

Even though the name “antebellum” suggests the band is some­thing of the past, the music produced by Lady Antebellum in their third album, released Sept. 13, does indeed “Own the Night.”
From upbeat melodies to calming harmonies, the album is full of charming music. Like the norm these days, their album is full of ro­mance. From a tentative first kiss to the pain of unrequited love, from showering compliments on a loved one to finding an old beau, the songs tell a range of stories.
Emerging from the terrains of Tennessee in 2006, the country-style band follows the precedent of so many vocalists before them in their ap­proach to music. Not only did they capture the charts with No. 1 hits like “Need You Now” and “I Run to You,” but they also snatched nomina­tions and wins from the Grammys, Teen Choice Awards and American Country Awards.
Unlike some country stars (think Taylor Swift), Lady Antebellum con­tinues to stick with their roots. Multiple pieces in their album highlight the band’s country origins, —“Love I’ve Found In You” with a clean, well-written fiddle accompaniment, and “Singing Me Home,” a piece that transports me from the 21^st century to a truck rumbling down a dirt road in the ‘70s listening to a scratchy radio in intense Missouri heat.
Other pieces appeal to human emotions effectively, using the strings as suitable back-up tonality to an otherwise slow, simple melody. Lack of syncopation surprisingly works in “As you Turn Away” to keep the steady beat of the soulful, melodic farewell song. But for you rhythm-lovers, there’s still plenty of off-beat accompaniment in the piano and guitar in other songs to keep you satisfied.
However, this track isn’t perfect. Some lyrics really speak to the listener while others are just bland, general words that rhyme. The uber repeti­tive chorus of “Wanted You More” (guess which words were used over and over again?) could have warranted some more editing. And even though Lady Antebellum has a beautiful trio combina­tion, their voices can only take some songs with an almost non-existent instrumental section so far. For slow pieces (“Cold as Stone”) the listener could use a bit more momentum.
From start to finish, this album is not great, but quite good. Both the first and last song make my list of favorites, with “Just a Kiss” and “Friday Night.”
Both are unique, wheth­er it’s the rhythm, the lyrics or mood of the piece. A well-balanced production, this album is going nowhere but forward in history.
By Daphne Yu