Gold and Green [Digipak]

Performer: Sugarland
Engineer: Sara Lesher; Erik Lutkins; Tom Tapley; Rob Gal; Bill Lane; Chip Matthews
Producer: Kristian Bush; Jennifer Nettles; Byron Gallimore
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Kristian Bush (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, mandolin, background vocals); Jennifer Nettles (vocals, piano, background vocals); Annie Clements (vocals, background vocals); Dan Dugmore (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, steel guitar, dobro, banjo); Thad Beaty (acoustic guitar, banjo, background vocals); Byron Gallimore (electric guitar, upright bass); David Davidson , David Angell (violin); Kristin Wilkinson (viola, strings); John Catchings (cello); Brandon Bush (piano, keyboards, percussion); Travis Aaron McNabb (drums, percussion); Eric Darken (percussion); Vicki Hampton, Robert Bailey , Kim Fleming (background vocals). Recording information: Southern Tracks, Atlanta, GA; Tree Studios, Atlanta, GA. Georgia's Sugarland rose to great heights in 2009 - their 2008 album LOVE ON THE INSIDE reached platinum status, they recorded a prime-time network television special called LIVE ON THE INSIDE, which was then released in numerous packages that all sold well, and the group has sold out live shows globally. Therefore it seems to make sense for the group to release yet another stop-gap before the year runs out in lieu of a new studio album. GOLD AND GREEN is a hybrid holiday recording. It contains ten tracks, five of which are Christmas standards including a country boogie version of "Winter Wonderland," a "backwoods" "O Come O Come Emmanuel," and a steeped-in-reverence acoustic version of "Silent Night," sung bilingually in Spanish and English. The other five cuts are originals themed for the holidays. One has to give Sugarland some marks for trying to do something different than a standard-issue Christmas album. Georgia's Sugarland rose to great heights in 2009 -- their 2008 album Love on the Inside reached platinum status, they recorded a prime-time network television special called Live on the Inside, which was then released in numerous packages that all sold well, and have sold out live shows globally. Therefore it seems to make sense for the group to release a stop-gap before the year runs out in lieu of a new studio album. Gold and Green is a hybrid holiday recording. It contains ten tracks, five of which are Christmas standards and include a country boogie version of "Winter Wonderland," a "backwoods" version of "O Come O Come Emmanuel," and a reverent acoustic version of "Silent Night," sung bilingually in Spanish and English. The other five cuts are originals themed for the holidays. The set's opening track, "City of Silver Dreams," is an homage to New York City at Christmastime, and a hard luck love song. On "Comin' Home," rhythm & blues roots to compete with a gospel chorus in the refrains. "Maybe Baby," sung by Kristian Bush, sounds like a track left off Love on the Inside. ~ Thom Jurek Georgia's Sugarland rose to great heights in 2009 -- their 2008 album Love on the Inside reached platinum status, they recorded a prime-time network television special called Live on the Inside, which was then released in numerous packages that all sold well, and the group has sold out live shows globally. Therefore it seems to make sense -- in Nashville's cynical and often crazy head -- for the group to release yet another stop-gap before the year runs out in lieu of a new studio album. Gold and Green is a hybrid holiday recording. It contains ten tracks, five of which are Christmas standards including a country boogie version of "Winter Wonderland," a "backwoods" (if anything Byron Gallimore, who co-produces with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, had his hands on could ever be that rootsy) "O Come O Come Emmanuel," and a steeped-in-reverence acoustic version of "Silent Night," sung bilingually in Spanish and English. The other five cuts are originals themed for the holidays. One has to give Sugarland some marks for trying to do something different than a standard-issue Christmas album. The songs, however, aren't actually up to snuff. The set's opening track, "City of Silver Dreams," is an homage to New York City at Christmastime and a hard luck, love song. It doesn't work on either level. Nettles doesn't sound convincing in the least as a wide-eyed country girl seeing the sights in New York. As a broken love song, that theme is merely a half-baked afterthought. To make matters worse, the gradually building crescendo in the refrain is now such a Sugarland trademark, it's akin to a key after the bridges in a Barry Manilow tune. In other word, it's become a clich�. On "Comin' Home," Sugarland addresses Nettles' rhythm and blues roots to better results, complete with a gospel chorus in the refrains. (Even the mandolins in the track are there to make the song sound friendly to Nashville's radio bosses.) It's easily the best track here. "Maybe Baby," sung by Bush, sounds like a track left off Love on the Inside, and could have been performed by Bon Jovi. "Little Wood Guitar," written by Bush and Ellis Paul, is syrupy filler, pure and simple. So Gold and Green is a mixed bag in more ways than one. While everything Sugarland touches seems to turn the latter color of the album title in 2009, here they've sacrificed the real emotion in the songs on their first three studio albums for something that feels canned and pre-packaged. Gold and Green just feels like an obvious, cloying exercise in marketing, and holds little artistic merit. ~ Thom Jurek

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