The new self titled album by Love and Theft hits stores on July 24th, and it is definitely a little bit of heaven with a wild side. Their current hit song ‘Angel Eyes’ has been sailing through the sound waves of radio stations across the country, but if you haven’t taken notice of this duo yet, it’s about time you did.
Releasing only their second album, Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson have managed to put together eleven of the freshest tracks country music has seen in a while. Like their so fitting band name, the counteraction of love and theft continues throughout their whole album giving listeners a shot of new sound and melody with a smooth choir-like chaser.
Track number four entitled ‘Amen’, is a perfect example of the very soulful, feel good vibe that is so much fun to listen to. A more playful side is shown in songs like ‘Inside Out’, ‘Girls Love to Shake It’ and ‘Girls Look Hot in Trucks’ and there is no doubt the guys enjoyed singing these lyrics out loud. The balance of emotion and realism in each and every chorus are in many ways the words we all wish we could say but just don’t know how to. If you don’t find yourself singing along or feeling some sort of attachment to the lyrics, then you probably don’t understand good country music. For those of you that haven’t listened to Love and Theft in the past this brand new album would be a great place to start. While their past songs still carry the same weight, these new ones are playing in a whole new league. From synchronized harmonies to solid guitar acoustics this is the type of album you listen to in your car on repeat, hope you hear on the radio, and create a Pandora station for. If you’re an all around country music fan you will be spoiled with the flavor that comes to life in this album. On the other hand, if you’re a follower of newer country songwriters like Taylor Swift; you will find common ground with the story-like verses that capture the innocence of childhood love in ‘Town Drunk’.
Each song holds a unique place and you have to respect the artist’s connections to each one and their reasoning for them being on this self-titled album. The fact that the album is eponymous is interesting, and implies more of a first time record status rather than a second, which I love. As a fan of Love and Theft and a follower of their music, I truly feel this album is a sort of coming-out party for these artists and their new style of country. There isn’t one track on this whole album that I didn’t enjoy listening to and I know it will steal all of your hearts away too.
