With the release of the latest studio offering from the Nashville natives,
Lady Antebellum have produced an album that is minus the big power ballads and string arrangements of previous albums. The fifth studio album written whilst the band were on tour feels like a more mature, less produced album than previous releases.
Opening with ‘Long Stretch of Love’, guitars greet the listener with a very up beat track, slightly darker lyrics than the guitar solo suggests. Whilst the lyrics seem a little dark the song is incredibly catchy with that signature toe tapping sound that country music personifies.
‘Bartender’ is a song that most female listeners will be able to identify with. It’s a song that speaks of how every girl deals with break ups. It’s a night that every girl has had and connects with the listener with familiar memories of nights that we have all had.
‘Damn You Seventeen’ has a sweet melody towards the end of the album that is sugary sweet and very cute, a song about remembering young love. Hillary Scott and Charles Kelley take turns telling each other’s lost love story. Their voices come together to harmonise perfectly in this bitter sweet number.
Title track. ‘747’, begins with heavy drums and piano, the theme of this song is well used and is not that new. Scott and Kelley sing of love that is being reunited, and the mid section guitar solo is a little of a cliche, but the song is easy enough to listen to.
Even though this album lacks the big ballads like ‘Need You Now’ and ‘Nobody Knows’, that made the band famous, 747 takes the listener on a pleasant trip into Nashville for a snap shot at Southern life. The album feels like you could be in a bar listening to the band live. It is a pleasant album full of beautiful harmonious catchy songs, making it a well rounded enjoyable album.
6/10
Reviewer: Amanda Starkey