How did Sugarland countrify the unfamiliar pop songs?
Sugarland is by no means a crossover act, but that’s not stopping the country duo from tackling Beyonce. Opening last night for Kenny Chesney at New York’s Madison Square Garden, lead singer Jennifer Nettles told the sold-out crowd that they like to ‘countrify’ the R&B diva. They then broke into Beyonce’s ‘Irreplaceable,’ with steel guitar, fiddle and a whole lot of twang. ‘Irreplaceable’ has been on Sugarland’s setlist for most of the Chesney tour. The video below is a compilation of performances of the song from various cities. And we may soon see video of the duo actually performing with Beyonce. Nashville’s Tennessean newspaper reports that Sugarland and Beyonce are planning on a duet at either the upcoming American Music Awards, Country Music Awards or Grammy Awards. Sources: http://www.theboot.
I have a love/hate thing with live albums. I love them because I feel like I was there and hate them because in most cases, I wasn’t. But they seem so rare these days that I’m treating Sugarland’s live album like the gem that it is. (It comes out Aug. 4 in Wal-Mart’s Live on the Inside CD/DVD set.) When I first read the track listing, none of the cover songs sounded familiar. But because it’s Sugarland, and Jennifer Nettles’ voice soars and Kristian Bush’s mandolin sings, all the songs now sound like theirs to me. So when you see “Circle” and realize it’s the song by Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, don’t let that deter you. Or Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire” or R.E.M.’s “The One I Love” or Pearl Jam’s “Better Man.” These were all songs I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know and/or love until Sugarland did them. The B-52s’ “Love Shack” becomes an instant classic when Sugarland spins it. Then there’s Beyoncé’s “Irreplaceable.” Why does a kiss-off song sound so much stronger with this twang?
There are still some Sugarland songs here: “Love,” “All I Want to Do,” “Joey” and “Stay.” So really, there’s something for the diehard fans who want songs … Sources: http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&ct2=us%2F0_0_s_1_0_t&usg=AFQjCNHrS_DqT8tHjfXZPrLnw6a8tLXFIA&sig2=uakWAMrIH65mYNBwm9wMag&cid=0&ei=-CJ4SvnSAZOQ9QTN1rOVAg&rt=SEARCH&vm=STANDARD&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.cmt.
