That Girl is Jennifer Nettles' debut solo album, after many albums with her group Sugarland, which was widely successful. We were in our right to ask ourselves if she could deliver the same quality of content as Sugarland did, and pretty quickly in the album we realize that the answer is "yes, absolutely". This is simply a stellar album by Jennifer Nettles, with absolutely nothing left behind, and some amazing songs that really ought to be discovered by country fans.
If it wasn't clear enough in the introduction, I really appreciated this album. It comes early in the year, right before the very busy month of February, which will feature pretty big name releases. The first single, That Girl, didn't chart that high, but like I mentioned bellow in the comments of that single, I think there are better songs on this album that could really hit the radio at one point. The album is extremely diverse, and if you are used to my critiques, you know by now that I appreciate that quite a lot in albums. If I'm going to listen to the same artist for 40-50 minutes (41 minutes and 30 seconds in Jennifer Nettles' case), I don't want to listen to the same thing over and over again. I want each song to be unique, to add something to the album. In that regard, it's mission accomplished.
The musical complexity of this album is also pretty impressive, going from slow love songs like This One's For You to some old Rock and Roll in Know You Wanna Know. The guitar isn't as impressive as we've seen on some other albums (Wheelhouse by Brad Paisley or Fuse by Keith Urban are the ones that come to mind pretty quickly), but the singing remains really astonishing. Some songs are sung with a really high pitch, which I don't appreciate particularly, but the rest is pretty stellar in that regard.
Finally, the album is really well-written. Again, nothing was left behind by Jennifer on this album, and the song-writing didn't lag behind, at all. There are really poetic songs (some who are even too poetic for my own taste, like This Angel), and overall, genuine effort was made to feature an original story, and true emotion in each song, which I also really like in an album. That Girl didn't have the marketing power that some other artists benefit from (like Eric Church and his upcoming album, The Outsiders), and it really would gain from being discovered by listeners.
8.5/10
Falling
When I started the album, I didn't quite know what to expect, since we didn't have any single from this album playing on the radio before it was released. Falling really impressed me, it's a very good song and the singing is absolutely stellar. The song becomes a tad repetitive, but not too much. Well structured song, with many variations in tempo and tone.
9/10
Me Without You
This song is really well-written, it's very poetic. That being said, Jennifer Nettles sings very high in that song, and the pitch can get pretty annoying if you aren't into this. Very good song nonetheless.
7.5/10
Moneyball
I really enjoyed the tone of that song, the slow and fun composition is quite pleasant. Again, Jennifer Nettles put a lot of dedication in the song-writing, and it really adds a lot to the enjoyment you'll have listening to it. The song is quite catchy too, I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit the radio at one point.
9/10
That Girl
That was her first single, and it didn't perform that well, topping at about 37. That being said, I'm of the opinion that there are better songs on this album than this one, and I really think that other songs could have shot at performing better. That being said, That Girl is a very good song, and I love the story that's being sung, about the girl not wanting to get the other girl's guy. The story really fits well with the overall rhythm of the song, and it has a lot of emotion to it.
8.5/10
This Angel
The song is very poetic, but to be fair, it doesn't even tell a story. It just feels poetic just for the sake of it. The singing is excellent though. I simply feel like Jennifer Nettles was trying a bit too hard to make this an "emotional" song, without having much substance to it.
7/10
Jealousy
Very peppy song after This Angel, quite appreciated. The song is again extremely well-written, and the guitar rhythm in the back is pretty good I must say. It all fits well together, very well produced song. This is another one that could very well hit the radio, and to be frank I'd appreciate it a lot. I enjoyed this song extremely.
9.5/10
This One's For You
This is a love song, like the lyrics say it quite a few times. It's a slow song, an enjoyable song, but it gets repetitive. It's still enjoyable though. Valentine's Day is coming, that could be a good song to put on your stereo system for a supper with your significant other!
7.5/10
Know You Wanna Know
Another peppy song, sounds quite old school, which is nice. The song sounds like nothing else on this album, and it's very well-written. You just want to dance on this song to be honest, I really appreciated it. Really sounds like an old Rock and Roll song, with the piano as one of the lead instruments.
9/10
Thank You
This is another slow song. Like I said in the comments for Me Without You, I'm not a big fan of the really high pitch, and it's pretty present in this song. I wasn't a big fan of this song for that reason. The singing is stellar, simply not to my personal taste and preference.
6.5/10
Good Time To Cry
This is a good song, but it's really not the album's best. The song is repetitive to say the least. It's a slow song that some people might enjoy when they feel bad, but otherwise, there are a lot of songs on this album that you'll appreciate more. That being said, diversity is always a good thing.
7/10
Like A Rock
This is the final song of the regular version of the album. Like A Rock was first played by Bob Seger in 1986. Jennifer Nettles' take on it is pretty good, keeping the spirit of the song. That being said, I still prefer the original version. I think she could have finished the album with a more peppy song, but that's just a personal preference.
8/10
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