Sugarland

Longtime fans of Sugarland may miss hearing the sweet voice of the band's founding member Kristen Hall, but then again fans of sultry frontwoman Jennifer Nettles will be stoked that she totally dominates Sugarland's second album. Where 2004's Twice the Speed of Life waxed reflective about finding one's self to a backdrop of polished countrypolitan production, Enjoy The Ride is much more upbeat, poppy and positive with inspired themes about confidently sinking your teeth into the life you have. Dig those chiming 12-string leads that open "County Line."

On their second album, these Georgians do bright pop country with a big hook quotient
and a little cheesiness. Jennifer Nettles sings with an apparently unreconstructed drawl,
and she sometimes oversings, which is only a minor annoyance on Dixie Chick-worthy
winners like "These Are the Days" and "One Blue Sky."