Old Dominion

Country music is enjoying a wave of popularity not seen for years in the U.K., with new radio stations appearing almost every month to try and capture the market. The success of the Country to Country Festival has underlined its popularity. And it's bands like Old Dominion that give you an understanding of why. This third album from the band is not a traditional country album at all. It's just a good pop album; but traditional pop. With the charts filled with genre crossovers and collaborations, there is a hunger for the simpler pop songs of yesteryear.

This album sees them shift to a more polished sound to tap into that hunger. That is typified by Smooth Sailing, with its slick production and catchy chorus. For the first time, the band have had a hand in producing duties, alongside longtime collaborator, Grammy award winner Shane McAnally. Perhaps it is their involvement that's seen this sheen applied. Maybe it's their work writing for others in Nashville. Either way, it's worked.

Midnight Mess Around is a gorgeous piece of pop cheek, with talk of late night liaisons and 'parking lot' sex. It's the sort of song the Zac Brown Band can often produce on their better days. My Heart Is A Bar and Some People Do apply the tender brushstrokes while American Style and Make It Sweet offer the jaunty twangs that those Nashville traditionalists love. While some of the lyrics tread dangerously close to cheesy, you sense there is always an awareness of that by the band themselves. It's great fun and has some great tunes. Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung and Brad Tursi recently had a successful UK tour and this album will surely see them build on that fanbase.