That Girl

That Girl

by Jennifer Nettles
That Girl

That Girl

by Jennifer Nettles

CD

$16.99 
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Overview

That Girl is Jennifer Nettles' first solo record since she co-founded pop-country's superstar act Sugarland. Produced by Rick Rubin, it's mostly a collection of originals, co-written with some of the music industry's most successful songwriters. For his part, Rubin has chosen a familiar stable of sidemen -- Matt Sweeney, Smokey Hormel, Jason Lader, ex-Faces keyboardist Ian McLagan, Red Hot Chili Peppers' drummer Chad Smith, Alex Acuna, and Lenny Castro -- but his work here is busier than is the norm. Winds, strings, and horns also make appearances. The first single and title track, with its faux Latin groove -- complete with handclaps and congas -- is a left-field pop song kissed by McLagan's B-3 floating about the guitars and bassline until it becomes the driving engine of the tune under her voice. Opener "Falling," initiated by a pair of acoustic guitars, is completely self-written and feels closest to what Nettles has done with Sugarland. It whips itself up into a dynamic anthem with a weave of country and gospel underscoring the song's drama. "Without You" and "This Angel" are essentially acoustic ballads that get painted with strings about midway through. "Moneyball" and "Good Time to Cry" use Southern soul as their jump-off points. That said, they are so self-consciously retro, they feel somewhat restrained by the genre formula. "Jealousy," co-written with Kevin Griffin, is a shiny, breezy, summery pop song kissed by Brazilian rhythms and fluid acoustic guitars. It's also in the R&B camp, but it's modern and more natural in its well-polished yet effective presentation. "This One's for You," a sultry love song co-written with Sara Bareilles, contains a simple melody but showcases a dynamite chart displaying an intricate interplay between piano, electric guitar, and horns as they frame the obvious emotion Nettles puts into the song. These two cuts are the album's finest moments. "Now You Wanna Know," co-written with Richard Marx, is a straight-up barroom rocker with a chanted male backing chorus and driven by McLagan's Jerry Lee Lewis-esque piano. The lone cover is Bob Seger's "Like a Rock" that closes the record and features the Dap Kings' horns. It begins as a stately acoustic ballad, but quickly becomes a crossroads where old-school Southern soul and gospel intersect. It's looser, rawer, inspired, committed: it works. She should use it as an inspiration for her next solo offering. No one doubts the power in Nettles' throaty contralto, but some of these songs feel too calculated or require more subtlety to completely pull off. That said, these simple shortcomings won't -- nor should they -- deter her fans. That Girl was obviously designed to showcase her diversity as a vocalist and songwriter, and to cross over to a pop audience (but don't expect country radio to ignore it) -- more than likely, it will. ~ Thom Jurek

Product Details

Release Date: 01/14/2014
Label: Mercury
UPC: 0602537525256
Rank: 74864

Tracks

  1. Falling
  2. Me Without You
  3. Moneyball
  4. That Girl
  5. This Angel
  6. Jealousy
  7. This One's for You
  8. Know You Wanna Know
  9. Thank You
  10. Good Time to Cry
  11. Like a Rock

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Jennifer Nettles   Primary Artist
Lenny Castro   Percussion
Wayne Bergeron   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
David Stout   Trombone
Marty Krystall   Clarinet
Matt Sweeney   Guitar
Cochemea Gastelum   Sax (Baritone)
Andrew Duckles   Viola
Daniel Fornero   Trumpet,Flugelhorn
Alyssa Park   Violin
Josefina Vergara   Violin
Jason Lader   Bass
Steve Richards   Cello
Neal Sugarman   Sax (Tenor)
Doug Tornquist   Tuba
Suzie Katayama   Cello
Chris Bleth   Oboe,Flute (Alto),Flute (Bass),Clarinet (Bass)
Brian Scanlon   Sax (Tenor)
Charlie Bisharat   Violin
Joel Peskin   Sax (Baritone)
Lee Thornburg   Trumpet
Alex Acuna   Percussion
Dave Guy   Trumpet
David Campbell   Conductor
The Dap-Kings   Horn
Joe Meyer   French Horn
Sara Parkins   Violin
Michele Richards   Violin
Steven Holtman   Trombone
Steve Kujala   Flute (Alto),Flute (Bass)
Ian McLagan   Keyboards
Chris Gray   Trumpet
Smokey Hormel   Guitar
Chad Smith   Drums
Jacqueline Brand   Violin

Technical Credits

Jennifer Nettles   Composer
Scott Patton   Composer
Richard Marx   Composer
Rick Rubin   Producer
Sara Bareilles   Composer
Ashley Gorley   Composer
Tim Owens   Composer
Butch Walker   Composer
Jason Gossman   Editing
Hillary Lindsey   Composer
Suzie Katayama   Contractor
Eric Lynn   Engineer
Phillip Sweet   Composer
Mike Reid   Composer
David Campbell   Arranger
David Covell   Production Assistant
Justin Hergett   Assistant
James Minchin III   Photography
Craig Allen   Design
Karen Naff   Art Direction
Kevin Griffin   Composer,Composer
Dana Nielsen   Editing,Engineer
Sara Lyn Killion   Assistant
Sean Oakley   Engineer
Wayne Gordon   Assistant
Simon Guzman   Assistant
Dave Hanych   Production Coordination
Rob Goodchild   Assistant
Rouble Katoor   Assistant
Stephen Marcussen   Mastering
Scott Moore   Assistant
Andrew Scheps   Mixing
Bob Seger   Composer
Gabriel Roth   Engineer
Greg Fidelman   Engineer
Derek George   Composer
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