Be Sure to Say Hello to Lady Antebellum's Goodbye Town

Lady Antebellum proved to me they know their way around the country-pop hybrid territory with their bittersweet jewel "Need You Now". Equal parts unguarded moment and comforting strumming it earned its title of country and pop radio mainstay. "Goodbye Town", the second single from the trio's new "Golden" foray possesses the wistful lilt of romantic finality. Charles Kelley's ache is undeniable. He's the voice of a million people who want desperately to get out of Nowheresville USA and make a fresh go somewhere where the teeth marks of an unfriendly past aren't so unbearably fresh. Dave Haywood tosses his Lipton soup mix bounty of sensitively applied guitars to this dance. After he's seen fit to shine the light on piano then this song's earthiness quotient improves by leaps and bounds. Make no mistake, Charles excels at producing a wounded animal aesthetic that is a testament to his discipline as a vocalist. He's in tatters over the woman who's going to be sorry when he moves on. He's tied up in knots over the prospect of having to leave the town he's grown accustomed to accepting, warts and all, yet he knows if he's ever to know what standing on his own two feet instead of following in the footsteps of another, he must move along. As usual Hillary Scott's vocal contribution is curvy in all the right places. Music strikes a recognizable chord when it focuses on the ever necessary escape from whatever evil form reality has chosen to assume this time. This town is well worth the cosmic "gas money" it takes you to load it on IPod. Very delicate treatment of subject matter that's never easy to wrestle with. Lady Antebellum has forged a solid reputation for making it look easy.