A lot has happened to Old Dominion since they dropped the fan favorite mixtape Odies But Goodies. Beyond a summer headlining major festivals, breaking records at the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music with seven and eight consecutive Vocal Group wins and opening a bar named Odies, both in honor of their fans and the songwriting community that would drift a few blocks off Music Row after – or sometimes during – writing sessions, the band wanted to focus on music.
The result is Barbara, a 13-song exploration of what it means to be positive, to seek the light and own your place in the world without denying reality. Always ear worm farmers, the hooks on Barbara are some of their most unforgettable, but this time they’ve gone a little deeper and considered mortality, humanity and the joy of being alive in a more mature way.
From the opening “Making Good Time,” with its phased pre-chorus and tumbling drums, that sweeps from youthful ardor to moving through life, recognizing the purity in coming of age and how it shapes who we become, the Shane McAnally/Old Dominion-produced album seeks to understand the way life and love can rise and fall. It’s the euphoria seeing a certain kind of free-spirited woman can induce “Break Your Mama’s Heart,” the rhythmic philosophy of what it all means “Water My Flowers” and the elegy for a good friend “Miss You Man.”
That reflective tone that informs “Me Most Nights.” “What Doesn’t Kill A Memory” and “Sip in the Right Direction” lead to the feeling better healing of “Crying in the Beach Bar” and “Late Great Heartbreak.” It also paves the way for the self-searching “Man or the Song,” a song for anyone at a crossroads, wondering what their purpose is or just struggling with what matters. That and the closing “Goodnight Music City,” which honors the spirit of a creative community mostly gone, suggests a knowing that inspires even better futures.
Comments are closed.