Review – Sugarland – The Incredible Machine

Sugarland are something of a big deal in the States, yet never seem to have crossed over a great deal in this country. After the likes of Lady Antebellum started to break into the mainstream conscious, you would think that Sugarland would have followed suit, but that is yet to happen. Not that it particularly matters, considering the millions of albums this country pop music duo have shifted in America.

This, their fourth album, was released last year over in America last year, and was the 5th best selling country album of 2010, finally getting its release over here in February 2011.

The Incredible Machine is an immensely accomplished collection of memorably instant country pop songs, which are catchy and anthemic, and are powered by the extraordinary vocal talents on lead singer Jennifer Nettles, who soars throughout this record.

Lead single Stuck Like Glue, which I first heard them perform on American Idol recently, is a gem, and will embed itself in your brain for days with a refrain that is just genius, and so simple it is unreal. The album does not really dip for one minute, with each track sounding solid and beautifully put together, but it is really the talents on the front woman on show here that captivate the listener and galvanise this album as a body of work. It is not hard to see why they are so highly revered in the country scene over in the States, and their music is easily accessible, and of high quality throughout this release.

Second single Tonight is a stormer, and across the board, you cannot deny the quality of tracks such as Stand Up, Little Miss, Find The Beat Again, and the closing one-two finale of Wide Open and the emotive piano driven Shine The Light. It is engaging, and enthralling.

This is really worth a listen if you are open minded, and like a little bit of the old pop soaked C+W

8.5/10