Lady A: Ocean (CD)

After a wave of change, Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley and Hillary Scott have watched the tides rise and fall and are embracing the power of vulnerability with the release of Lady A's forthcoming album OCEAN, set for release November 15 on BMLG Records.

It marks a new beginning that brings the Multi-PLATINUM trio back to their roots, showcasing their familiar vocal interplay and individual instruments on the emotionally resonant 13-track project. Lady A chronicles personal relationships and everyday responsibilities with a balance of growth and maturity that could only come from 13 years of working together.

“There’s this theme of returning to the core of who we are—as writers, vocalists and people—that came out in each of these songs," Dave Haywood explains. “Our time in the studio with Dann had an excitement that felt like we were making our first album all over again."

Produced by first-time collaborator Dann Huff, OCEAN is full of depth and despair, with its title-track Scott's bare vocal puts a bow on the album’s core reminding us of life’s beauty even when we get caught in its undertow. With moments like "Be Patient with My Love," which Kelley co-wrote as a beautiful ode to commitment, they balance raw feelings with squealing guitars.

"It's such a cinematic and theatrical melody that really tied together our standpoint of this record as a whole," adds Scott. “OCEAN stands for all of the things that we think and feel when we hear the word. Its parallel with those feelings much like the songs about barely keeping your head above water and others that make you feel like everything is smooth sailing.”

The album allows Lady A to let loose too. "You Can Do You" is a swaying live-and-let-live anthem inspired by the hustle of Nashville's crowded streets, while "Boots" combines heartland-rock crunch with Celtic fiddles. On the swirling "The Thing That Wrecks You," the trio gets an assist from fellow Country music superstars Little Big Town, who supply background vocals; its dreamy coda features the two groups' vocals intermingling, weaving in and out of one another and occasionally hovering over the gauzy guitars.


Tracklist

1. What If I Never Get Over You
2. Pictures
3. Crazy Love
4. You Can Do You
5. What I'm Leaving For
6. Be Patient With My Love
7. Alright
8. Let It Be Love
9. On a Night Like This
10. Boots
11. The Thing That Wrecks You
12. Mansion
13. Ocean