| Bigger | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 8, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | August 2017, February 2018 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 41:46 | |||
| Label | Big Machine | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Sugarland chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Bigger | ||||
| ||||
Bigger is the sixth studio album by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on June 8, 2018, through Big Machine Records. This is their first album in eight years since 2010's The Incredible Machine , and first on Big Machine.
After a five-year hiatus, at the 51st Annual CMA Awards, Bush and Nettles reunited to present Vocal Duo of the Year. Nettles mentioned all the years that Sugarland won Vocal Duo of the Year, "2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011…and well, who knows?", teasing new music from the duo. After the ceremony, the two tweeted a photo of themselves at the CMA's with the caption #StillTheSame. [2] The lead single "Still the Same" was released on December 21, 2017. Sugarland announced the album, album title and track listing on April 12, 2018. One of the songs on the album, "Babe" features American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. Swift wrote the song with Train frontman Patrick Monahan for her 2012 studio album Red but the song didn't make the album. After the CMA's Swift got in touch with Sugarland, told them how excited she was that they were getting back together and mentioned she had a song for them. This is the first song Sugarland have recorded that wasn't written by Bush and Nettles. [3] [4]
Sugarland performed for the first time in five years at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018, and performed "Still the Same". On May 8, 2018 they performed their second single "Babe" on Live with Kelly and Ryan becoming the debut televised performance of the song; the duo then performed the title-track "Bigger" off-camera just for the studio audience. [5] [6]
The duo supported the album on the Still the Same Tour which began on May 4, 2018, in Durant, Oklahoma and concluded later in the year on September 9, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
"Still the Same" is the lead single from the album and was released on December 21, 2017.
"Babe" featuring Taylor Swift, the second single from the album, was released on April 20, 2018.
The title-track, "Bigger", was released as a promotional single on April 12, 2018. "Mother" was released April 27, 2018 as another promotional single.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [7] |
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of All Music gave it four out of five star rating saying, that the album "does indeed deliver on its titular promise to be a grand, majestic album, but emotions are not in its skyscraper sweep." [7] Brittany McKenna of Rolling Stone was positive saying, "The arrangements of Bigger are grander, the vocals more theatrical, and the themes – which occasionally veer into the political – decidedly more topical. The album takes cue from current trends while adamantly retaining the spirit that made their songs like "Stay" such massive hits. In other words, it's still a Sugarland record, but one tailor-made for our odd moment, where female voices like Nettles' are louder than ever thanks to movements like #MeToo and Time's Up but still largely missing from country radio." [8] Jermey Burchard of Wide Open Country describes the album as "their best yet", and they "are coming back into the county landscape at more creative and promising timing." [9]
Bigger debuted at No. 2 on Top Country Albums based on 30,000 album equivalent units, 26,000 of which are traditional album sales. [10] It sold another 5,000 copies (7,600 units) the second week. [11] It has sold 57,500 copies in the United States as of December 2018. [12]
Adapted from Rolling Stone . [4]
All tracks are written by Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, except where noted. All tracks are produced by Nettles, Bush and Julian Raymond
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bigger" | 3:25 | |
| 2. | "On a Roll" | 3:01 | |
| 3. | "Let Me Remind You" | 3:45 | |
| 4. | "Mother" | 3:48 | |
| 5. | "Still the Same" | 3:38 | |
| 6. | "Lean It On Back" | 3:38 | |
| 7. | "Babe" (featuring Taylor Swift) |
| 3:35 |
| 8. | "Bird in a Cage" | 3:29 | |
| 9. | "Love Me Like I'm Leaving" |
| 5:26 |
| 10. | "Tuesday's Broken" | 3:14 | |
| 11. | "Not the Only" | 4:53 | |
| Total length: | 41:46 | ||
Credits adapted from AllMusic. [13]
Vocals and songwriting
Musicians
Production
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Sugarland is an American country music duo founded in Atlanta, Georgia. The duo consists of singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush. They were founded in 2002, at which point Kristen Hall was also a member. All three had experience in folk rock: Nettles had recorded in the groups Soul Miner's Daughter and Jennifer Nettles Band, Bush had recorded two albums as one-half of the duo Billy Pilgrim, and Hall had recorded two solo albums. After Hall left in 2006, Nettles and Bush continued as a duo.
Twice the Speed of Life is the debut studio album by American country music group Sugarland, released on October 26, 2004, through Mercury Nashville Records. The album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and number three on the Top Country Albums charts. It was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album features the singles "Baby Girl", "Something More", "Just Might ", and "Down in Mississippi ", which peaked at number 2, number 2, number 7, and number 17 respectively on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Twice the Speed of Life was Sugarland's only album as a trio, before Kristen Hall left in December 2005.
Jennifer Odessa Nettles is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer.
Kristian Merrill Bush is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Bush is one half of the country music duo Sugarland with Jennifer Nettles, and was a member of the folk rock duo Billy Pilgrim with Andrew Hyra. In addition to his work in these two groups, Bush released one solo album, Southern Gravity, via Streamsound Records in 2015, and four solo albums via Big Machine Records, 52 ATL x BNA, 52 | In The Key Of Summer, 52 | New Blue, and 52 | This Year in 2022 and 2023. In 2023 Bush also released an EP titled Drink Happy Thoughts on his own label Songs Of The Architect. In 2015, he was also featured in the game My Singing Monsters.
Enjoy the Ride is the second studio album by American country music duo Sugarland, released on November 7, 2006 on Mercury Nashville Records. The album is the first one released with Sugarland as a duo, as former member Kristen Hall had departed earlier in 2006.
"Want To" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in August 2006 as the first single from the album Enjoy the Ride. It was their first single not to feature former member Kristen Hall. Although Jennifer Nettles had previously been featured on Bon Jovi's Number One country hit, "Who Says You Can't Go Home", the song was the first regular Number One hit of Sugarland's career in the U.S., spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in late 2006.
"Settlin'" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in January 2007 as the second single from their album Enjoy the Ride, and their second consecutive number one hit. The song reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. It was written by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Tim Owens. It was the theme song for the 2007 ACC tournament.
"Everyday America" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on May 21, 2007 as the third single from their second album Enjoy the Ride). It peaked at number 9 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The song was also played on the ABC television series Good Morning America from May to September 2007. It was written by Jennifer Nettles, Kristian Bush and Lisa Carver.
"Stay" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in September 2007 as the fourth and final single from their album Enjoy the Ride. Overall, the song is the group's eighth single to enter the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, where it reached a peak position of #2 for four weeks, stuck behind Taylor Swift's "Our Song", and has become their signature song. The music video for "Stay" was ranked #10 on CMT's 100 Greatest Videos.
"Something More" is a song written and recorded by American country music group Sugarland. It was released in April 2005 as the second single from their debut album Twice the Speed of Life. Like its predecessor "Baby Girl", "Something More" was a number 2 hit on the Hot Country Songs charts.
The American country music duo Sugarland has released six studio albums for Mercury Nashville and 18 singles, including one as a featured artist. Founded in 2002 as a trio composed of Kristian Bush, Kristen Hall, and Jennifer Nettles, they have recorded as a duo since Hall's departure in December 2005.
Love on the Inside is the third studio album by American country music duo Sugarland, first released on July 22, 2008, as a Deluxe Fan Edition, including five bonus tracks, with the standard edition one week later, on July 29, on Mercury Nashville Records. The album has produced three chart singles in "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone" and "It Happens", all number one hits on the Billboard country singles charts. The fourth single, "Joey", reached Top 20. The release of the fifth single "Keep You" was cancelled. It is also the first album of the duo's career to reach Number One on Top Country Albums and The Billboard Top 200. The album has been certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA with sales of over 2 million copies in the United States.
"It Happens" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released in February 2009 as the third single from their album Love on the Inside. The duo's members, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, wrote the song along with Bobby Pinson, with whom the duo also co-wrote the album's first two singles, "All I Want to Do" and "Already Gone". To date, this is Sugarland’s last number one song.
Live on the Inside is a live DVD/CD set from country music duo Sugarland. It is their first live CD/DVD set and their fourth album overall. It was released on August 4, 2009, exclusively at Wal-Mart stores, and debuted at number one on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and Country Albums chart.
"Joey" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. The duo's two members, Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, wrote it along with Bill Anderson. It was released in July 2009 as the fourth single from the duo's album Love on the Inside. Sugarland's twelfth single release, it debuted at number 50 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts in July 2009.
Gold and Green is the fourth studio album and first Christmas album from American country music duo Sugarland. The album was released on October 13, 2009, through Mercury Records Nashville. It features five original songs penned by group members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush and five traditional holiday songs that were also previously included as part of a Wal-Mart-exclusive re-release of the duo's 2006 album Enjoy the Ride.
The Incredible Machine is the fifth studio album by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on October 19, 2010, through Mercury Nashville Records. Byron Gallimore along with both members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush teamed up for production of the album.
"Run" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Matt Nathanson with Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush of country duo Sugarland, and recorded for Nathanson's seventh studio album, Modern Love (2011). The song is performed as a duet between Nathanson and Nettles, with Bush contributing backing vocals as well as the acoustic and electric guitar accompaniments. It made its debut at the 2010 CMA Awards on November 9, 2011. A remastered country version was released to digital retailers via Vanguard Records the same day as the third single from Modern Love.
"Still the Same" is a song written and recorded by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released December 21, 2017 through Big Machine Records, serving as the group's first single in six years and the lead single for their forthcoming sixth studio album, Bigger (2018). "Still the Same" is the group's first new release since their self-imposed hiatus announced in 2012. The song officially impacted American country radio on January 8, 2018; this release was promoted in collaboration between Big Machine and the Universal Music Group Nashville, which houses the group's former label, Mercury Nashville.
"Babe" is a song recorded by American country music duo Sugarland, featuring guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released by Big Machine Records on April 20, 2018, as the second single from Sugarland's sixth studio album, Bigger (2018). "Babe" is a midtempo country pop ballad and breakup song. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart, number 8 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs, and at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100.
