Twice the Speed of Life (CD - 2004)

Sugarland: Kristen Hall (vocals, guitar); Kristian Bush (vocals); Jennifer Nettles.

Personnel: Jennifer Nettles (vocals, background vocals); Kristian Bush (acoustic guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Kristen Hall (acoustic guitar, background vocals); Dan Dugmore (electric guitar, steel guitar, lap steel guitar, dobro, banjo); Tom Bukovac (electric guitar); Rob Hajacos (fiddle); Brandon Bush (organ); Greg Morrow (drums, maracas, shaker, tambourine, percussion); Chad Cromwell (drums); Steve Brewster (percussion); Garrison Starr, Garth Fundis (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Matt Andrews; Chuck Ainlay.

Recording information: Sound Emporium Studios, Nashville, TN.

Photographer: Julie Dennis Brothers.

Sugarland is a shot at the big-time for a trio of singer/songwriters who have languished on the outskirts of country and folk for the better part of a decade. Kristen Hall had a career of her own as a recording artist, Kristian Bush was in Billy Pilgrim, and Jennifer Nettles is the new discovery, previously fronting Soul Miner's Daughter, who never had recorded. With her powerful, soulful voice sounding a bit like a mainstream, country-oriented Shelby Lynne, Nettles is the frontwoman in Sugarland, and she gives the trio sex and commercial appeal, turning the professionally crafted songs on the group's debut, Twice the Speed of Life, into something that's charmingly mainstream. Hall may have been stuck playing in the folk circuit and Bush may have had little more than a cult following, but both have considerable skills as writers, crafting sturdy, melodic songs reminiscent of a streamlined, pop-ready, less quirky Dixie Chicks. If there's any flaw with Twice the Speed of Life, it's that it plays it a little too safe, fitting too comfortably into the confines of contemporary country radio, but it does its job so well, it's hard to complain. Besides, once Sugarland finds an audience with this debut, the group will be able to stretch out on the second record. Based on how solid Twice the Speed of Life is, they'll likely find fans who will be eager to hear how they grow. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Fronted by the seriously soulful vocalist Jennifer Nettles, Sugarland is a trio that makes immediately accessible, radio-ready country-pop. Singer/songwriters Kristen Hall and Kristian Bush comprise the other two-thirds of the group, and together they generate a sound that is equal parts backwoods twang, urban-cowgirl glamour, and suburban working-class malaise, a mix that will undoubtedly appeal to all three demographics. TWICE THE SPEED OF LIFE is Sugarland's full-length debut, and it fulfills the promise of its major-label status by delivering the goods in full.

While the crisp production, Nettles's gospel-inflected alto, and Hall and Bush's sweet, multi-part harmonies are what catch the ear on first listen, the secret weapon here is the quality of the songwriting. "Something More" bemoans the dreariness of 9-to-5 life and yearns for transcendence in its memorable, sing-along chorus. "Hello" is a lilting, mid-tempo narrative of an idyllic romance, while "Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good) is the sort of rollicking party anthem tailor-made for wild nights on the town. In short, Sugarland has all the makings of major country-pop act. minimize