The Incredible Machine is the fourth studio album by American country music duo Sugarland. It was released on October 19, 2010 via Mercury Nashville Records. Byron Gallimore along with both members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush teamed up for production of the album.

Upon its release, The Incredible Machine received mixed reviews from music critics. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling approximately 203,000 units in its first week and has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA. "Stuck Like Glue" served as the lead single, later peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Content

In many interviews leading up to its release, both Nettles and Bush described the new album as "steampunk movement", best described as a branch of science fiction that imagines a world where humans evolved intellectually, but technology remained set in Victorian times. Nettles described it (emotionally) "as bungee jumping and eating chocolate cake, It's terrifying and gratifying, all at the same time". This description lead fans and critics to believe that the album would have "steam engine sounds", and would also be a sharp deviation from the uptempo country for which they're known. Nettles apologized about the confusion in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying "That's really our fault for the way that we explained it, to be honest. It has everything to do with the visual. We wanted another world on stage. We wanted something fun, a visual aesthetic to be inspired by. We chose that one. It has nothing to do with the music".

Blake Boldt of The 9513 described the first single, Stuck Like Glue, as "A catchy twang-pop package" and that is "a fun mixture of accordion and mandolin, is a hooky earworm that begins to zero in on Sugarland’s vision of the musical future". Entertainment Weekly described the track "Wide Open" as "a propulsive rocker", and "Stand Up" as "pure inspiration in two-part harmony".

Production

During the recording of the album, Nettles and Bush had fun because they kept things loose in the studio and in the songwriting. "We had such a good time writing this record because we really allowed ourselves to play". Nettles continued saying, "As artists, we are always wanting to better ourselves and to develop our craft and to get better at not only reaching the human heart, but at . . . stretching ourselves to see who else we can bring into the country world and who else we can speak to. I'm always satisfied, but I don't know that I'll ever be complacent. There are different artists who musically end up following different paths. Some are more of the traditionalists, and I think that's great. We need that in every genre. And then some of us, like Kristian and myself, are more of the pioneers ... the explorers. We want to explore new territory and allow the genre to grow because, as we all know, if we don't grow we stagnate. So, especially now, it's a super fertile time in country music to allow it to grow".

Promotion

In promotion of the album, the duo began "The Incredible Machine Tour", which kicked off in Primm, Nevada on April 23. The tour will visit 63 cities through October. The theme of the tour is inspired by steampunk, a movement described by The New York Times as "a subculture that is the aesthetic expression of a time-traveling fantasy world, one that embraces music, film, design and ... fashion". Nettles also explained their reasoning behind the theme, saying "It started out as a literary movement in the '80s. Basically, it's based on the concept of 'if' during the Victorian era and the age of inventionism, If instead of moving and evolving toward the cyber-world that we're in now -- with plastic and computer and silicon chips -- what if we just kept it really romantic and organic and made it about steam engines and machines? So this, visually, was a beautiful launching pad for us and also the metaphors that can come from it". Bush commented saying, "We have this real interesting moment -- that I'm not sure it happens a lot of the time in your career -- where we were making an album, but at the same time, we were completely redesigning our presentation of our music. So the album itself reaches a little bit further to each of the new parts of who we are and our influences and the places that we love and was inspired kind of forwards and backwards by the development of the show at the same time". Prior to the release of the album, three promotional singles were released exclusively on Apple's iTunes Store as a "Countdown To: The Incredible Machine". The countdown began on September 28, with the release of "Incredible Machine" and continued with "Wide Open" being released on October 5, and "Little Miss" being released on October 12.

Reception

Commercial

The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and Top Country Albums chart, selling 203,000 copies in its first week of release. In its second week of release, the album dropped to number two on on the Billboard 200 selling 89,000 copies. In its third week of release, the album dropped to number three on the Billboard 200, selling 60,000 copies. In its fourth week of release, the album dropped to number eight on the Billboard 200, selling 60,000 copies. As of the chart dated March 26, 2011, the album has sold 891,289 copies in the US.

Critical

Upon its release, The Incredible Machine received generally mixed reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 54, based on 10 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".

Allen Jacobs with Roughstock was in high praise of the album, commenting "The Incredible Machine may not be the ‘same-ol’ album and it certainly isn’t something that’s even remotely traditional country music but what the album turns out to be is a fantastic rumination on the human condition of life, love and the meaning of", and called it one of his favorite albums of the year. Bill Brotherton with the Boston Herald gave it an 'A' rating, and was in high praise of the album, noting Nettles' voice, comparing it to that of Melissa Etheridge, and noted the change of their country sound, saying "as enjoyable as their previous albums have been, few could have predicted a work as jaw-droppingly incredible as this. Country it is not, and that might peeve some fans. This is a flat-out mainstream rock record." Rick Moore with American Songwriter gave it a four star rating, noting that the album was a drastic change in sound from their previous albums, saying "with The Incredible Machine, Sugarland has distanced itself even more from the Nashville mainstream and this may well be the biggest country album this year that relies so much on keys; No fiddles or steel are anywhere to be found", and was in high praise of it, saying "but as a project, The Incredible Machine succeeds big time, and may make these guys even less welcome to certain factions of Music Row as they continue to change the face of what is considered “country”". Sarah Rodman with The Boston Globe was in favor of the album, saying the duo was "on their game" with the release. She complimented the " the playing field" that is on the album, and concluded saying "Is it country? Given the fluctuating definition of the format over the last 20 years some of it is and some of it isn’t. But the bigger question with any record regardless of genre should always be is it good? And The Incredible Machine is very good indeed".

Jessica Phillips with Country Weekly gave it a three star rating, saying that the songs sounded "overly calculated", and said "Overall, the album more closely resembles pop punk and arena rock than what’s generally considered "country" music". Jon Caramanica with The New York Times gave it a mixed review. He criticized the sound and songwriting on the album, referring to some of the tracks as "reggae" and "gothic" and said the songwriting "lean on bland inspirational platitudes or mystical gobbledygook". He noted the increased presence of Bush's voice on the album, referring to it as a "blatant error of judgment" and said " anguished scrape is a heavy anchor pulling down "Stand Up," "Wide Open" and the many songs on which he sings harmony at the chorus. On a positive note, he called the track "Shine the Light" an "exception" saying "it’s just Ms. Nettles here, singing while playing the piano, tossing her big voice around with ease. There’s a terrific soul cover album in her somewhere. It would be something worth leaving country behind for". Chris Willman with Entertainment Weekly gave it a C+ rating, and saying "Sugarland's latest is essentially a full-blown rock album. There's nothing wrong with anthemic as an adjective, but it's troublesome when it gets made into its own genre".

Thom Jurek with Allmusic gave it a 2½ rating, and largely criticized the production of the album, saying "while much is being made of how brave and challenging this record is, it's not. The Incredible Machine is a collection of (mostly) competent if unremarkable songs, held together by slick-- often sterile --production". J. Edward Keyes with Rolling Stone also gave it a 2½ rating, and criticized the sound of the album, saying "Any remnants of country music left in Sugarland are wiped clean on The Incredible Machine, replaced by spit-shined arena pop Sugarland are ruthless in their desire to leave no radio-ready trick untried, but in the end it's too much machine, not enough heart". Mario Tarradell with The Dallas Morning News gave it a 'C-' rating, criticizing Nettles' "grating" voice on the record, saying it "mak the disc immediately hard-to-take". Randy Lewis with The Los Angeles Times gave it a 2½ rating, saying it "might easily have subtitled, The Arena Rock Album."

Jonathan Keefe with Slant Magazine was highly critical of the album, giving it a 1½ star rating. He criticized the sound of the album, saying "The choice of imagery never resolves into a greater aesthetic, which is disappointing, but the problems with styling are far less troubling than The Incredible Machines actual music; does stand to alienate at least some portion of their core fanbase, because it isn't a country album. Not even a little bit." He continued saying "What's most frustrating about the album is that Sugarland, even at their most pop-leaning, has repeatedly proven that they're capable of much better than this. Many country fans are going to dismiss the album simply because Sugarland has gone pop, when the far greater issue is that The Incredible Machine is just awful of its own accord". Stephen M. Deusner with The 9513 gave it a two star rating, referred to it "a dud" calling it "their Coldplay moment". Kevin J. Coyne of Country Universe gave the album a 1½ star rating, referring to it as a "terrible album, an unmitigated disaster that manages to fail in ways that shouldn’t even be possible."

Singles

The first single, "Stuck Like Glue", was sent to radio stations on July 26, 2010 and debuted at #44 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of August 7, 2010.

It also debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at #20 shifting 93,000 downloads, making it the highest debut on that chart by a country music group or duo. Nettles commented on the song, saying it "is just plain, unashamed, Sugar-fun! It sticks in your brain, no pun intended. To me it feels young, hip and of course sassy”!

"Little Miss" is the second single was released on November 15, 2010 from The Incredible Machine.

Personnel

;Technical

* Craig Allen – design

* C.J. Ridings – assistant

* Ann Callis – production coordination

* Frankie Foye – hair stylist

* Byron Gallimore – producer

* Mark Helprin – quotation author

* Ted Jensen – mastering

* Nik Karpen – assistant

* Sara Lesher – engineer

* Chris Lord-Alge – mixing

* Erik Lutkins – engineer

* Susan McCarthy – make-up

* Andrew Schubert – engineer

* Gillian Steinhardt – wardrobe

* Tom Tapley – engineer

* Brad Townsend – engineer

* Jennifer Tzar – photography

;Additional musicians

* Brandon Bush – accordion, keyboards, organ, piano, programming

* Kristian Bush – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, producer, vocals

* Paul Bushnell – bass

* Shy Carter – percussion

* Matt Chamberlin – drums, hi hat, percussion

* Dan Dugmore – electric guitar

* Travis McNabb – drums, percussion

* Steven Morrison – engineer

* Jennifer Nettles – piano, producer, vocals

Charts and certifications

Album

Certifications

End of year charts

Singles

*A Current single.

Chart procession

References

Artist/Band Information

Sugarland, an American country music duo, is composed of singer–songwriters Jennifer Nettles (lead vocals) and Kristian Bush (background vocals, lead vocals, mandolin, acoustic guitar, and harmonica). Sugarland was founded in 2002 by Kristen Hall with Bush and ultimately became a trio after hiring Jennifer Nettles as lead singer. After three years, Hall left the group.

Signed to Mercury Nashville Records in 2004, Sugarland broke through that year with the release of their debut single "Baby Girl", the first single from their multi-platinum debut album Twice the Speed of Life. The trio became a duo in 2006, when they also released their second album, Enjoy the Ride. This album produced their first two #1 singles (in the U.S.), "Want To" and "Settlin'", and won the duo a Grammy for "Stay". In 2008 they released their third album, titled Love on the Inside. This album produced three more #1 singles with "All I Want to Do", "Already Gone"and "It Happens". Their fourth album, The Incredible Machine was released on October 19, 2010 in both a standard and deluxe edition. Upon "The Incredible Machine" being certified platinum, Sugarland's physical album sales exceed 9 million copies, with an additional 5 million digital tracks sold.

Career

2004–2005, Twice the Speed of Life

Jennifer Nettles grew up in the small town of Douglas, Georgia. Nettles, Bush, and Hall were regulars in Atlanta's folk-rock scene in the 1990s and early 2000s before Sugarland was formed, playing frequently at Eddie's Attic in Decatur, Georgia, which Nettles' ex-husband owned for a time.

Sugarland's debut album, Twice the Speed of Life, was released Oct. 26, 2004. Serving as its lead-off single was the song "Baby Girl", which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and set a record for the longest chart run since the inception of Nielsen SoundScan in 1990; it was also the highest-peaking debut single for a group in 13 years. Also released from the album were the singles "Something More", "Just Might (Make Me Believe)", and "Down in Mississippi (Up to No Good)", which peaked on the country charts at #2, #7, and #17, respectively. The album received Multi-Platinum certification for sales of three million copies, becoming their first album to achieve that status. In late 2005, the trio performed with Bon Jovi on Country Music Television's musical fusion show, Crossroads. Nettles sang with Bon Jovi on their single "Who Says You Can't Go Home". The song later went on to become a #1 hit on the country charts. They toured the U.S. and Canada performing with Brad Paisley in 2005 and in 2006–2007 with Kenny Chesney on his Flip Flop Summer Tour.

2006-2007, Enjoy the Ride

Kristen Hall left the group in December 2005. According to a statement released on January 17, 2006, by Nettles and Bush, Hall left the group to "stay home and write songs."

Sugarland was nominated for the Best New Artist Grammy and performed the song "Something More" at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2006. They also performed at the 2006 CMT Music Awards, where they received multiple nominations including Group/Duo Video of the Year for Just Might (Make Me Believe), Breakthrough Video of the Year for Something More, and Collaborative Video of the Year for Who Says You Can't Go Home. On November 7, 2006, the duo released their second album Enjoy the Ride. It sold 211,000 during its first week and opened at #4 on the US Top 200 and at #2 on the Top Country Albums charts. It went on to become their second album to achieve multi-platinum status for selling three million copies. The first two singles from this album — "Want To" and "Settlin'" — both reached Number One on the country music charts, while "Everyday America" and "Stay" were both Top Ten hits. A limited edition of the CD, sold exclusively at Wal-Mart, was released in late 2007 and included a 5-song Christmas EP. The EP contained one original song – "Little Wood Guitar" – written by Bush and Ellis Paul. USA Today included the song in a list of new Christmas songs released in 2007 "that might have some staying power."

In 2007, Sugarland performed at multiple award ceremonies, including the 2007 CMT Music Awards and the 2007 ACM awards. They performed a cover of Beyoncé Knowles' "Irreplaceable" at the American Music Awards. Knowles joined Sugarland on stage starting with the second verse. The performance drew some poor reviews with The Village Voice calling it "a well-intentioned mess," although other critics also noted that the crowd enjoyed the performance.

They appeared on The Tonight Show, and late in the year they headlined their first concert tour: the Change for Change Tour along with opening acts Little Big Town and Jake Owen. At the 41st CMA Awards, the group won the award for Vocal Duo of the Year.Country Music Association. Retrieved September 10, 2010.

Sugarland also appeared on a Sesame Street episode that first aired during Season 38 on September 14, 2007. During the segment they performed "Songs" with Elmo.MuppetWiki. September 14, 2007. Retrieved August 31, 2009. On November 26, 2007 they made a guest appearance in the "Car" episode of "Yo Gabba Gabba!".

2008–2009, Love on the Inside

In February 2007, Nettles and Bush began recording Love on the Inside as a follow up to Enjoy the Ride. The Deluxe Fan Edition was released on July 22, 2008, with the regular edition released one week later. The fan edition includes the duo's collaboration with Little Big Town and Jake Owen, a cover of The Dream Academy's 1985 hit "Life in a Northern Town". It also introduces four other bonus tracks, including "Fall Into Me", "Operation: Working Vacation", "Wishing", and a cover of Matt Nathanson's "Come On Get Higher".

The lead-off single was "All I Want to Do" which debuted at #27 on the country charts, the highest debut for the duo. In August 2008 the song became their third #1 single. The following single, "Already Gone", released on September 8, 2008, became their fourth #1 in January 2009.

Sugarland started the Love on the Inside Tour on September 13, 2008 in Asheville, North Carolina. It was their second headining tour. They were supported by Ashton Shepherd and Kellie Pickler and the tour concluded after 25 performances on November 16, 2008 in Bossier City, Louisiana.

In early December 2008, Sugarland received three Grammy Award nominations and performed on the 51st Annual Grammy Awards show on February 8, 2009. They won awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group.Grammy.com. (See Category 38 and Category 41.) Retrieved February 9, 2009.

On February 11, 2009, Sugarland received two nominations from the Academy of Country Music. They were nominated for Top Vocal Duo and Vocal Event of the Year for "Life in a Northern Town".Academy of Country Music. February 11, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2009. During the broadcast of the April 5, 2009 awards show, Sugarland was presented with the Vocal Duo of the Year award, ending Brooks & Dunn's nine-year run.DeDekker, Jeff. Leader-Post, April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009. Nettles also received a Milestone award, presented to her by Reba McEntire.McDonnell, Brandy (BAM's Blog). The Oklahoman, April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 6, 2009.

In March 2009, Sugarland toured in Europe starting with performances at military stations in Italy. They were scheduled to perform in France, the Netherlands, Germany, England, Scotland, and Ireland. Later in 2009 they joined Keith Urban in select cities as part of his Escape Together World Tour and joined Kenny Chesney on his Sun City Carnival Tour.NashvilleGab.com. February 10, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2009.

The third single from Love on the Inside, and 11th single overall, "It Happens", was released in February 2009 and became their fifth #1 in May 2009. The album's fourth single, "Joey" is a warning about drunkdriving, encouraging those sober to "take the keys," and thematically is heavily influenced by Concrete Blonde's 1990 single of the same name. It peaked at #17 on the US country charts.

On May 19, 2009, Sugarland received five CMT Award nominations including a nomination for Video of the Year.Gerome, John. . Associated Press, May 19, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009. They were presented the award for Video Duo of the Year at the award show that broadcasted on June 16, 2009.CMT.com . Retrieved June 17, 2009. During the awards show, they also performed "Love Shack" with a surprise appearance by the B-52's.CMT.com. . June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.

On July 2, 2009 a performance that Sugarland recorded for Soundstage debuted on many PBS channels.Public Braodcasting Service. Retrieved July 3, 2009.

Sugarland's first live DVD/CD Live on the Inside was released exclusively through Wal-Mart stores on August 4, 2009.Country On Demand. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 17, 2009.

Sugarland released their first holiday album, Gold and Green on October 13, 2009. The album features five original songs and five traditional carols.Morran, Chris. Oklahoma Magazine, August 31, 2009. Retrieved August 31, 2009.

Country Universe, a country music blog website, published a list of the top 32 selling country albums of 2009. Sugarland had four albums on the list with Love on the Inside (#10), Gold and Green (#26), Love on the Inside (#28), and Enjoy the Ride (#29).Country Universe. January 4, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2011.

2010, The Incredible Machine

Sugarland's "It Happens" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals when nominees for 52nd Annual Grammy Awards were announced on December 2, 2009.Gilbert, Calvin. CMT News. December 3, 2009. Retrieved October 25, 2010. They lost to Lady Antebellum's "I Run To You". During the awards show, Jennifer Nettles teamed with Jon Bon Jovi for "Who Says You Can't Go Home".Suddath, Claire. Time, February 1, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010.

On February 1, 2010, Sugarland appeared with many other artists in the making of "We Are the World: 25 for Haiti" to benefit the Haitian earthquake relief efforts and the rebuilding of Haiti.We Are The World Foundation. Retrieved October 25, 2010.

On September 10, 2010, Sugarland appeared on The Today ShowAOL Music. September 10, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010. and performed "Stuck Like Glue" - the first single from their album The Incredible Machine, which was released on October 19, 2010 in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.Willman, Cris. Entertainment Weekly, October 13, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2010. The album is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on February 7, 2011.

The American Express concert series Unstaged pairs Sugarland with director Kenny Ortega for a performance from New York City streamed live on October 18, 2010.Mansfield, Brian. USA Today, October 12, 2010. Retrieved October 13, 2010."I'm a complete geek," says Sugarland's Kristian Bush, "and I've been dreaming of how awesome it's going to be to play a show and stream it to people for a long time. Now, you can sit and reach a kid in Sevierville, Tenn., like I used to be, that might not ever get to New York. They'll be able to see a show like that and have the excitement of it being live and happening right now."

On November 29, 2010 Jennifer Nettles hosted the first CMA Country Christmas during which Sugarland also performed two holiday songs from their Christmas CD, Gold and Green.Country Music Association. PRNewsWire, October, 21 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2010.

On December 5, 2010, Sugarland performed at "The VH1 Divas Salute The Troops" show, hosted by Kathy Griffin, which aired on VH1. Other performers included Katy Perry, Keri Hilson, Nicki Minaj, Paramore and Grace Potter. Sugarland performed their country crossover single "Stuck Like Glue", after an introduction by supermodel Marisa Miller and Jennifer Nettles' brother, a member of the Air Force.Newsday.com. December 4, 2010. Retrieved December 9, 2010.

It was announced on January 11 that Sugarland was the #5 selling country album of 2010 with The Incredible Machine and the #3 selling digital country track of 2010 with their single "Stuck Like Glue".Roughstock January 11, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2011.

On April 3, 2011 Sugarland will host and perform at the first annual ACM Fan Jam during the ACM awards show.The Boot January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011. Sugarland was also nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year and Video of the Year for "Stuck Like Glue" at the 46th annual Academy of Country Music Awards.

"Tonight" is set to be the second single released in the U.K. from "The Incredible Machine".

Touring

As opening act

* Time Well Wasted Tour (Brad Paisley, 2005)

* Long Haul Tour (Brooks & Dunn, 2006)

* Flip Flop Summer Tour (Kenny Chesney, 2006–2007)

* Escape Together World Tour (Keith Urban, 2009)

* Sun City Carnival Tour (Kenny Chesney, 2009)

* Lilith Fair Festival (Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair, 2010)

As headliner

* Change for Change Tour (with Little Big Town and Jake Owen, 2007)

* Love on the Inside Tour (with Kellie Pickler and Ashton Shepherd, 2008–2009)

* The Incredible Machine Tour (with Danny Gokey, Jake Owen, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Vonda Shepard, Randy Montana and Julianne Hough, 2010)

* The Incredible Machine Tour (with Sara Bareilles, Little Big Town, Matt Nathanson, and Casey James 2011).Smith, Jay. . Pollstar, January 5, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.

Lawsuit

In July 2008, Kristen Hall filed a lawsuit for $1.5 million against Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles stating that she was being excluded from sharing profits as had been agreed upon after her departure in 2005 to pursue a solo career.USA Today. August 8, 2008. Retrieved May 3, 2009. Hall claims to have coined the name of the band and allowed Bush and Nettles "to obtain equal co-ownership of the trademark and service mark".Harrison, Shane. . The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 8, 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2009. Hall's name is listed on the trademark for "Sugarland". The lawsuit was eventually settled outside of court in November 2010. Details regarding the settlement agreement were not disclosed.Bluestein, Greg. . Associated Press via Yahoo! News, November 14, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2010.

Discography

;Albums

*2004: Twice the Speed of Life

*2006: Enjoy the Ride

*2008: Love on the Inside

*2010: The Incredible Machine

;U.S. #1 Country Singles

*"Want To" (2006) (2 weeks)

*"Settlin'" (2007)

*"All I Want To Do" (2008)

*"Already Gone" (2009)

*"It Happens" (2009) (2 weeks)

Awards

Sugarland has been nominated for 58 major music awards, winning 15 of those awards as noted below.

References