GRAMMY award-winning group Lady A is entering a new era of music that is reminiscent of their early years, while still delivering a fresh sound that resonates with fans of contemporary country music.
“Love You Back”
Written by James McNair, Lindsay Rimes, and Emily Weisband, “Love You Back” describes the joy of reliving memories of a past love, but how that memory ultimately can’t love you back and shouldn’t hold you back. Out today (Sept. 22), the tune is available for streaming HERE.
The bright strings of a mandolin introduce the song, which uses the first verse to relive the happiness of days gone by. “I’m in love with the history of you and me / How we used to be the king and queen / Of this small town young and wild / Something from the 90s on the dashboard dial / But oh the memory ain’t enough / ‘Cause I can look but I can’t touch”
The chorus brings reality to the forefront, describing what a memory can’t do. “A memory can’t kiss you outside of your momma’s house / Midnight rain on a Chevy hood / A memory can’t hold you in a Sarasota sunrise / Even though you wish it would / All it’s gonna do is make you lose sleep at night / Wake up and leave you in the past / You can love a memory / But a memory can’t love you back”
Producer Dann Huff captured Lady A’s signature lush harmonies in a way that recalls their classic sound while breathing fresh life into their music as well.
The trio initially teased the track during CMA Fest at an exclusive fan listening party, then they gave fans a sneak peek on social media and during their REQUEST LINE TOUR this summer. The lyric video for “Love You Back” features footage from the road where Lady A previewed the song during their shows.
Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott, and Dave Haywood of Lady A spoke with Music Mayhem and other media about this new chapter of their career.
Recapturing The Magic Of “American Honey”
When Charles first heard “Love You Back,” he knew it had the potential to be a Lady A song. He asked co-writer Emily Weisband if he could make a few tweaks and hear Emily sing it as Hillary with him before sending it over to their team.
“It just felt really reminiscent of what we kind of started out doing. A lot of that sound. It’s got a lot of that ‘American Honey’ feel to it, and that’s kind of what we really gravitate towards.”
The demo was originally more electric guitar driven, so they wanted to make the tune more authentic to the classic Lady A sound. ”Dave really pushed along with Dan Huff starting with a mandolin and starting to get those warm tones. And I think musically, we lean a lot on Dave in that kind of world,” says Charles.
The Impact of Charles Kelley’s Sobriety Journey
“A lot of the work I’ve done just around my sobriety is kind of chiseling away at your ego,” shared Charles, who recently celebrated one year of sobriety. “And ego is something that you cannot help to creep in when it comes to success and being in a band.”
For Lady A, they’re focusing on “knowing the heart behind each person and knowing that they love you,” wanting the best for each other and best for the band. “You have to compromise on how many days you want to go on the road, when you want to work, when you want time off. And I think for us, as we’ve gotten a little older and we’ve learned to compromise.”
They’ve also realized that they needed to have a long-term goal in mind.
“Some of the little things that you have to compromise on through that journey don’t seem so big anymore, whereas they used to seem huge,” admits Charles Kelley.
The Next Chapter Of Lady A
The inspiration for Lady A’s new music comes from their personal experiences, as well as influence from other artists. “I think being able to live some life before getting back in the room together and also just being inspired by other artists and other music that’s being released, I think that’s definitely worked its way in,” Hillary says.
Dave shared that they’ve finished recording several songs, but that they’re still working on how it all fits together.
“We cut a handful of songs, five or six with Dan Huff. We’ve recorded a few with some one-off producers here and there as well.” Charles added that the way fans consumer music today continues to evolve, so they’re working on the best way to get their new music to fans. “I don’t think people really are so concerned about some packaged album these days, which trust me, I mean the nostalgic side of me, kinda breaks my heart. But I do think there’s probably still a good chance that we do that. But how it gets laid out is definitely going to be new and everybody’s got opinions of how they think best it can be done. And for us, we just try to focus on what we do best and just making the music.”
With a year of sobriety to his credit, Charles Kelley has a new vision for both his personal and professional life. “I feel like I’ve got kind of a second lease on this journey and want to just keep proving to myself and them and the world that we still got a lot more life in us.”
During this chapter of their career, Lady A is focusing on fan engagement. Hillary says, “This season for us as a band is all about just wanting to continue that conversation with our fans, hearing their feedback and giving them the show that they want every night and the new music they want.”
REQUEST LINE TOUR
Lady A’s REQUEST LINE TOUR continues this fall, with their next stop in Durant, OK (9/29), followed by the third leg of the tour kicking off in Wallingford, CT (10/19), Boston, MA (10/20), and Philadelphia, PA (10/21) with support from friend Dave Barnes.
