After being in the game for more a decade, it's clear that Lady Antebellum works very much like a well-oiled machine, but that doesn't mean that the country stars don't feel the excitement from the industry anymore.
In fact, Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood made the conscious decision in late 2015 to put a halt on the band to refresh their minds as creatives and enjoy their lives as everyday people.
Now, they've returned with their new album, Heart Break.
Days after the release of the sixth studio album, the newly-rejuvenated group continued a dedicated promotional run for the project on Monday night with their iHeartRadio Album Release Party, which saw the country threesome weave in and out of their new 13-song set.
For the 60-minute show, Lady Antebellum kicked things off with "Downtown," the lead single from their previous studio album Golden, which included a stellar horn section.
"They're bringing a whole new fresh energy to so many songs in our set," Scott told host Cody Alan of the horns. "We're very thankful because it's given us a way to freshen up a lot of these songs that we've been playing for almost 10 years."
As you might have guessed, talk of horns seamlessly transitioned into the album's buoyant lead single, "You Look Good," which Kelley emphasized was a much-needed addition to their discography.
"It kind of reminds me of when we recorded 'Downtown.' Whenever things feel a little uncomfortable to do, I think that's a good thing. Music should make you feel something," the 35-year-old singer told the crowd. "It's stuff right down the middle that bores me a little bit."
Heart Break doesn't just see the trio tackle romance, but it also finds the trio in a pleasant space in terms of their overarching careers. They've had time to work on solo endeavours. They've had time to create families. And, more importantly, they've had time to grow.
After performing some older tracks like "Bartender" and their game-changing smash, "Need You Now," Lady A ended the radio broadcast of the show and continued on with several other moments from their catalogue: the gospel-tinged "Good Time to be Alive," their debut single, "Love Don't Live Here" and the nostalgic "American Honey."
But Monday's show was much more than a love letter to their new album. It was a love letter to the country genre. For their final song. Haywood retreated to the back of the stage to hop on piano and join his bandmates for a track that had everyone in the venue singing along. On top of gentle keys, the three churned out a tender performance of Shania Twain's 1998 hit "You're Still the One.”
Original article by James Dinh at iHeartRadio