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And
Sugarland has taken over country radio with a vengeance.
In May 2005, they had two Top 20 songs on Billboard’s
Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart, “Baby Girl”
at number 14 and “Something More” at number 19.
It was the first time in recent history that a debut group simultaneously
had two singles in the Top 20. “Something more”
hit the number one spot in July.
Hall
and her band mates will tour this fall with established country
artist Alan Jackson, and also with Brad Paisley and Sara Evans
as part of the CMT on Tour: Time Well Wasted tour.
This means plenty of stops at music festivals, casinos, county
fairs, and….Wal-Marts? Yes, Wal-marts. Just last April,
Sugarland performed at the Saginaw, Texas Wal-Mart parking lot
as part of the Road to CMA Music Fest Tour. The band signed
cds, photos, and even babies.
In
fact, the Wal-Mart tour is in line with the way in which Mercury
Records is marketing the band: good-old-fashioned wholesome
country music. The official website for Sugarland proclaims,
“The passion and optimism of the trio courses throughout
Twice the Speed of Life. Declaring strength without
deteriorating into stridency, the songs are a celebration of
all that life has in store and finding the silver lining even
in the darkest clouds.”
On
the site, Hall is referred to simply as “a singer/songwriter
specializing in searing heartache,” and there is a brief
mention of her ties to the Indigo Girls. It’s a public
relations tactic that may surprise Hall’s lesbian fans.
Hall has long been open about the fact that her “searing”
songs are written about relationships with women and she was,
after all, featured on Rhino Records’ compilation Lesbian
Favorites: Women Like Us.
Time
will tell if Hall’s lesbianism will become a talking point
as the band continues to grow in popularity. In a June 2005
interview with gay and lesbian news magazine The Advocate,
Hall was clearly identified as an out performer, but she made
no mention of her unique position as an openly gay performer
in the often conservative world of country music. The focus
was squarely on gratitude for her sudden good fortune with Sugarland.
Before
Sugarland began racking up hits, Hall had continued to work
on a solo project and had half of an album recorded. But the
strain of being a country music legend-in-the-making has limited
her studio time, and a “best of” package with a
few new songs may be her next solo release in the near future.
Hall’s prolific writing will no doubt keep her and Sugarland
flush with songs for years to come.
In
1992, she told Acoustics, “I think people need
to stick with what they do best. What I do best is writing these
little acoustic pop songs, and it may be out of fashion for
10 years, but on the eleventh year, when it comes back around,
I’m going to have this whole arsenal of songs. I missed
a niche about four years ago. I wasn’t ready then. Next
time I will be.”
Get Twice the Speed of Life at amazon.com,
or download
the album from iTunes
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