Reigning ACM and CMA ‘Group of the Year’, Old Dominion have been relatively quiet for the last couple of years since the release of their last album, ‘Time, Tequila and Therapy’ in 2021. Now four albums into a glittering career, this talented group of writers and musicians have taken Country music by storm since the release of their debut album, ‘Meat and Candy’ back in 2015. Their trademark sound has come to dominate both the airwaves and award shows in the years since although their last number one, ‘One Man Band’ was back in 2019, bringing to an end a run of consecutive number one singles stretching right back to ‘Song for Another Time’. New project, ‘Memory Lane’, however, is the most consistent and impactful release from Old Dominion since their ‘Happy Endings’ album.
Any band jam-packed with the writing talents of the likes of Matt Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi is one that is going to produce clever, slick, modern Country music. Google their cuts and writing credits. If Old Dominion were to implode tomorrow these guys could live comfortably from the proceeds of songs they’ve written for other artists but it’s in their day jobs, as members of Old Dominion, where they’ve excelled over the past decade: producing some of the finest, catchiest and melody-laden Country music around. ‘Meat and Candy’ and ‘Happy Endings’ were both 5 star albums from beginning to end and whilst the self-titled third album and ‘Time, Tequila and Therapy’ weren’t quite as consistent, they still contained monster songs like ‘Make It Sweet;, ‘One Man Band’ and ‘I Was on a Boat That Day’.
New project ‘Memory Lane’ is bursting at the seams with classic Old Dominion sounds but there is a consistency and binding feel across the project that the band can be proud of. If you love the snappy, catchy cadence of a Matt Ramsey chorus then you are going to love ‘I Should Have Married You’ and ‘How Good is That’. The former is textbook Old Dominion with a vague ‘Hotel Key’ overtone. A story of regret and of being ‘young and stupid’, ‘I Should Have Married You’ has a great rhythm and there’s a lot going on in the background on this deceptively simple song, including a tinge of Reggae to the melodies that begin to reveal themselves on multiple listens. ‘How Good is That’, meanwhile, has a snappy, fingersnap-worthy verse that builds to a lighter chorus in which Ramsey sings about ‘taking a big old swig of the simple life’ as he fires out line after line in trademark quick succession.
Old Dominion’s USP has always been music with a laid back, summer vibe and ‘Memory Lane’ doesn’t disappoint where that is concerned. ‘Ain’t Got a Worry’ is the poster child on this project for that kind of Carribbean-esque, beach living attitude. Here Ramsey & co espouse those ‘ain’t got a worry in the world’ vibes that scream beaches, beer, sun and freedom. It’s an incredibly simple song with a great deal of quiet intelligence underpinning it. S’up, man, indeed. ‘Love Drunk and Happy’ is cut from the same cloth as ‘Ain’t Got a Worry.’ Here we find tasteful, chugging guitars and a ‘no regrets’ kind of vibe on a clever, catchy song that purports to be nothing more than a ‘nothing sad, nothing sappy’ kind of ‘live your life the best way you can’ kind of song but is much cleverer than that underneath. ‘Easier Said with Rum’, meanwhile, feels like it should be about freedom but is really about the other theme running through this project, which is nostalgia and regret. It’s a smooth drinking song with a 70s Countrypolitan feel and a little Clapton-esque vibe to the Bluesy guitar licks. The song delves into the idea that alcohol can give you the courage to say what you need to say or to be honest when you’d rather not be. ‘I’m sorry I’m sorry took so long to roll off my tongue,’ Ramsey sings, full of regret for a relationship long gone, ‘I guess it’s easier said with rum.’
Regret also features on ‘I Should Have Married You’, ‘Memory Lane’ and stand-out track, ‘Some Horses’. The title track is a laid back yet quite intense song containing some deft touches on the guitars and a hint of classic Americana as Ramsey sings about ‘those sunsets that bled into jean jacket nights’, pining for a time, a person and a feeling long consigned to the past now but it is on ‘Some Horses’ that Old Dominion strike gold. ‘I Should Have Married You’ is a worthy song to send to radio but ‘Some Horses’ might well be the song to put them back on top of the charts after a four year absence. It’s a darker, moodier ballad with slight Latino / Mexican influences to the guitar melodies. It builds to a trademark snappy chorus about knowing better and about how some horses just cannot be tamed as Ramsey wallows in regret once again on a fresh sounding, original song with huge hit potential.
Throw in the rocky ‘Freedom Like You’ and it’s ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ esque backing vocals and ‘Memory Lane’ emerges as Old Dominion’s most consistent piece of work since the ‘Happy Endings’ album. The songs on this project feel like classic Old Dominion. A kind of back-to-basics Old Dominion that knows what it is they do best, with a few tweaks and evolutions around the edges. That mix of ‘no regrets – all regrets’ storytelling and the snappy lyrical delivery on the choruses has combined to produce an incredibly accessible and very listenable half an hour’s music of the finest quality and it’s going to be hard for the band to work out which of these new songs to leave out of their setlist in the months ahead as each one argues for a place in the show on its own merits. What a terrific problem to have.
Track list: 1. I Should Have Married You 2. Memory Lane 3. Some Horses 4. Ain’t Got a Worry 5. Love Drunk and Happy 6. Easier Said With Rum 7. How Good is That 8. Freedom Like You Release Date: 23rd June Record Label: Sony Music Nashville Buy ‘Memory Lane’ right now
