Critical Voices: Lady Antebellum, Own the Night

Yes, it’s country music. But it ain’t about sexy green tractors, farmer’s tans, or improper grammar. In fact, iTunes first mistakenly labeled all the tracks from Lady Antebellum’s third studio album, Own the Night, as “pop.” Perhaps the trio has begun to head the way of Taylor Swift: cranking out faux-country for a mainstream audience with little respect for true southern rock. Much of the new album, which drops on September 13, is missing the twang of older hits, such as “Lookin’ For a Good Time.” But oddly enough, the group’s transition to an increasingly diverse sound has, for the most part, worked.
The you-left-me-and-I-want-you-back theme of “When You Were Mine” and “Wanted You More,” along with the awkward, juvenile rhymes of “Dancin’ Away with My Heart,” stand in the face the group’s previous efforts, stifling the southern voice of the band. The heavy reliance on both the piano and keyboard adds more of a pop atmosphere to the album as a whole, keeping it at a safe distance from Lady Antebellum’s roots in pure, satisfying country riffs.
But these three songs do not manage to ruin the remainder of the album, a collection of duets accompanied by instruments that give Own the Night a generally authentic country flavor. The mandolin riffs driving the melody of “We Owned the Night” and the oscillating banjo fading in and out of the background of “Friday Night” cannot be identified as anything but sweet, sweet country.
Still, this album should not be entered into the battle between true country fans and the myriad of screaming fan-girls (and fan-boys) fighting for a glimpse of an established country-turned-pop star such as Swift. In the end, Own the Night isn’t really pop or country. It’s better to think of it in terms of the emotions it evokes—sadness, nostalgia, serenity, and joy—and its overarching theme of a “carpe diem” attitude. Fittingly, its final notes leave the listener with the instructions given on the album’s cover: own the night.