1. Settlin'
2. County Line
3. Want To
4. Everyday America
5. Happy Ending
6. These Are The Days
7. One Blue Sky
8. April Showers
9. Mean Girls
10. Stay
11. Sugarland
Amazon.com
One of country's fastest-rising acts, Sugarland arrive at their follow-up to 2004's triple-platinum Twice the Speed of Life in a considerably altered state. Chief songwriter and founding member Kristen Hall is gone, and producer Garth Fundis (Trisha Yearwood) has been usurped in favor of crossover hitmaker Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill). One could argue that these are the predictable results of success--by opening for such megastars as Kenny Chesney and Brooks & Dunn, the Atlanta-based trio was forced to retool its organic, singer-songwriter, folk-rock sound to fill arenas. And while their intricate vocal harmonies added a subtle creative dimension to their debut, Enjoy the Ride is made up mostly of songs ("County Line," "Mean Girls") constructed to showcase lead singer Jennifer Nettles's big voice in ways the previous album did not. While the repertoire was written by Nettles and surviving partner Kristian Bush in collaboration with proven songsmiths Bobby Pinson, Lisa Carver, and Tim Owens, much of the wistful intimacy of the first album is now diminished. Furthermore, it seems foolish to now call this act a duo, as Bush receives very little time in the spotlight apart from his vocal harmonies and performance on guitar and mandolin. None of this should matter on the charts, however, since the real focus was always on Nettles, whose twangy, force-field soprano more than carries the day. As before, the lyrics are upbeat and positive--if the message of the first album was of flight and searching, the theme here is of digging in. The winsome Nettles does a fine job of selling it all, positioning herself as the Ambassador of Optimism, the Deep South successor to Jo Dee Messina. --Alanna Nash
Album Description
Sugarland, with the help of producer Byron Gallimore (Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Lee Ann Womack), deliver the same ferocity on Enjoy The Ride. From the catchy coming-of-age kick-off single and chart-topping "Want To," to the reflective rocker "County Line" and the hopelessly optimistic "One Blue Sky," the combination of Jennifer's powerhouse country-soul voice with Kristian's passionate harmonies and deep-rooted musicality hits home, even if these two road veterans, each with a decade of club experience behind them, hardly ever see theirs. "If we can't go home, we do in our minds," Kristian explains of their songwriting process, which on this record, includes collaborations with country artist Bobby Pinson ("Want To"), Brad Paisley's co-writer Tim Owens ("Settlin'"), old pal Jeff Cohen ("April Showers") and Nashville local Lisa Carver ("One Blue Sky," "Everyday America," "County Line," "These Are The Days"). "There's a sense of nostalgia," Jennifer continues. "You pull from the time when you were figuring out who you are as a person. Like in 'Want To,' it's not only a story of falling in love, it's about that moment or a choice that could change your life. And with 'County Line,' it's about a place where you have your first kiss or get in a fight or talk about football and that time when you felt most free."
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Enjoy the Ride
- Audio CD: 0 pages (2006-11-07)
- Publisher: Mercury Nashville
- Label: Mercury Nashville
- Studio: Mercury Nashville
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 97 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #234
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: LADIES... MUST MUST BUY THIS ALBUM!! 2008-11-22
Comment: Startin out with Settlin... how many of us have found ourselves in THIS situation before. But this is about growing up and NOT SETTLIN'anymore.. then it flows thru so nice with some feel good music, some happy endings, some mean girls, who can't be forgiven! LOL ... but I have to hit that Repeat whenever Stay comes on!! Beggin him not to leave... but the next time she calls... U STAY! I mean... it doesn't get much better than this. Reminds me of the first time listening to Mindy McCready's album.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: It Could Be Better 2008-10-27
Comment: Normally if I like one song by an artist, I like most of their songs. But I can't seem to figure Sugarland out. I liked Baby Girl from there first CD but not really anything else. Then I stopped liking Baby Girl as much as I did. I HATE Stay. I sort of like Settlin', Want To, and Everyday America. But none of them scream "SUGARLAND IS AMAZING!", so I borrowed the CD because I liked All I Want to Do (from Love on the Inside) and thought, who knows I may enjoy some songs on this CD. Well none of them are really that great, but I can say I really like County Line.
So if you really liked Settlin', Want To, Stay and Everyday America I'd give this CD a try.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Sugarland is the best! 2008-09-19
Comment: I bought all 3 of their CD's at the same time. They are all equally good.
Have had them only a short time and probably already wore them out. Good thing I downloaded the music to my iPod.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: pretty good 2008-09-16
Comment: with the exception of april showers and mean girls the rest of the songs were pleasant. jennifer nettles is a good vocalist she just has a different style than some might like. I like her myself
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Ugh 2008-09-09
Comment: If not for Bon Jovi, this woman would not be famous.
Can she try any harder to sound southern? She is SO fake. I feel an uncontrollable urge to change the station. A few of the songs they have are well written, and its too bad you have to tolerate her voice to hear them.
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