CD Review of Live on the Inside by Sugarland
Sugarland: Live on the Inside
Recommended if you like
Little Big Town, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts
Label
Mercury
Sugarland: Live on the Inside

Reviewed by Jeff Giles

()

E
ven back in the days when live albums were really live, they were rarely an essential part of an artist’s catalog – and over the last few decades, as post-production tools have multiplied and the concert experience has morphed into just another obsessively groomed segment of our increasingly augmented listening experience, the live album has really devolved into a meaningless piece of product, one step above the dreaded greatest hits collection, almost always dripped out by an artist either at the end of his commercial lifespan or pinned between the gears of a label obsessed with striking while the iron is hot.

Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, a.k.a. Sugarland, fall into the latter category; since releasing their debut album in 2004, they’ve been one of the most successful acts in country music – or in the music business period: Each of their three albums has been certified at least platinum, and they’ve been a constant fixture on both the sales and airplay charts. If they haven’t yet reached a Rascal Flatts level of cross-platform dominance, they surely seem to be headed that direction, which is why Mercury is so eager to chase the success of last year’s Love on the Insidewith this live CD/DVD package (released exclusively through Wal-Mart, much to the chagrin of the Georgia-based indie retailers who championed Sugarland early in its career).

It’s an album without any real reason for being, in other words – but give Sugarland credit where credit’s due, because not only is Live on the Inside available for the right price (the retail behemoth is offering it for $12), but it offers something other than "live" versions of the band’s hits. The CD contains 10 tracks, seven of which are covers of well-known songs by other artists, ranging from the somewhat sensible (Edie Brickell’s "Circle," R.E.M.’s "Nightswimming" and "The One I Love") to the unusual ("Love Shack" and Kings of Leon’s "Sex on Fire") to the downright bizarre (Beyonce’s "Irreplaceable," Pearl Jam’s "Better Man"). Sprinkled between are just enough hits – "Love," "All I Want to Do," and "Stay," to be specific – to remind everyone that this is, indeed, a Sugarland album.

The DVD, helmed in HD by country music director Shaun Silva, deducts five of those covers, beefs up the song selection to 16 tracks, and provides a slickly edited blend of hits and album cuts – basically your standard live album, only delivered as a multimedia presentation instead of just a rehash of the stuff you’ve heard on the radio with crowd noise added. By itself, it would be the latest example of why the music industry is dying; bundled in with the CD, though, it makes for a nice bit of added value for the fans who just have to own a Sugarland live release. If you’re one of those people, Live on the Inside won’t add much to what you already know about the band’s music, but neither will it disappoint.

You can follow us on Twitter and Facebook for content updates. Also, sign up for our email list for weekly updates and check us out on Google+ as well.