Lady Antebellum- "Compass"

[rbundy1987]

New single: "Compass" **will be on Golden- Deluxe

Artist: Lady Antebellum

Label: Capitol

Writers: Mikkel Eriksen, Tor Erik Hemransen, Ammar Malik, Ross Golan, Daniel Omelio, Emile Haynie

Adds: October 14th

Audio:

SOURCE: Lady Antebellum Facebook official page.

Lady Antebellum: WE ARE LIVE on our Facebook Chat!

We are really excited to announce a BRAND NEW Single, "Compass"

Attachment Deleted

[avalyn]

Seems odd to me that they are releasing a deluxe album four months after the album was released and two singles into it. Either people release them straight ahead or wait until three or four singles in. I am sure it will work out for them. I did listen to Golden, the original release, and felt it was a weak album for them. I'll have to give this single a listen though.

ETA: Reading the press release it seems from the wording Compass is the only song added to the deluxe version. Am I the only one reading it this way?

[Deleted]

This is interesting. I wonder if this is because "Goodbye Town" didn't impress on the charts and they feel that the rest of the album would fail to impress as well, I'll listen to this later.

[evan93]

I love it

[kim8]

I like it, despite it being a little loud and Lady A not quite sounding like themselves in the chorus, but there were plenty of good single choices on the CD. I'm a little confused.

[rbundy1987]

Sept 30, 2013 14:29:13 GMT -5 kim8 said:

I like it, despite it being a little loud and Lady A not quite sounding like themselves in the chorus, but there were plenty of good single choices on the CD. I'm a little confused.

kim8, it's going to be included on Lady Antebellum's November 12th release of their Deluxe version of Golden Deluxe.

[evan93]

HQ cover:
s3.amazonaws.com/gumroad/files/e09e4dcb8634ec89d4feea0ee3e01eb4/original/CompassEmailBlast_01.jpg

[avalyn]

They clarified in chat there will be other new songs they wrote this summer while on "maternity leave" as well as acoustic versions other songs. Also according to amazon they are releasing the Christmas special on dvd at the end of October.

[Dustin J.]

I actually enjoy this...I like what did with the vocal arrangements on the chorus. It's somewhat different, but it's still country.

While so many others are releasing new/debut songs with autotune and a techno beat, this is a refreshing change of pace.

[evan93]

Sept 30, 2013 14:55:08 GMT -5 avalyn said:

They clarified in chat there will be other new songs they wrote this summer while on "maternity leave" as well as acoustic versions other songs. Also according to amazon they are releasing the Christmas special on dvd at the end of October.

One of the new songs is called "And The Radio Played" written by Lady A! Cannot wait!

[evan93]

Taste Of Country:

Comparing Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood to Mumford and Sons may seem like a stretch, and vocally it is. However, the production that both employ is similar. That thumping bluegrass sound is on the verge of being embraced by mainstream country audiences — perhaps ‘Compass’ will be the song to push it over.

+

Lady Antebellum stepped far outside the oft-used group of Nashville songwriters to find this song. The Stargate songwriting team join Robopop, Ross Golan and Emile Haynie (Eminem) to write this song.

[Deleted]

I like this, and I'm always ready for new music, but I hope this doesn't mean they are done releasing tracks from the original version of the album.

[jdbowman]

This sounds like a really good song, although the chorus is a little loud for me. I do say that about most songs these days.

[Deleted]

They'd been teasing for a few days now that they would announce something today, and a brand new song did cross my mind, but I'm still a little surprised.

I absolutely love the album Golden and I think there are a lot of great single choices left on it, so in that sense, this disappoints me a bit. On the other hand, "Compass" is infectious. The stomping, bluegrass-y feel at the beginning of the song is excellent. The chorus is a little overproduced but it's not bad at all. The lyrics are pretty good, too. From the album, "Better Off Now" and "All For Love" definitely have hit potential but I worry that they won't really release them now.

I'm not usually in favor of deluxe albums, either. However, perhaps this is the jolt of momentum that they need to get back to being the top group at country radio, given the fact that "Goodbye Town" curiously struggled and didn't really connect with fans as much as their singles typically do. A new batch of songs might get Lady A back on more people's minds for the holiday shopping season.

[Marv]

I've never had a problem with deluxe CDs having purchased a ton of them including the exceptional-and-then-some 'Pioneer', as long as they come out on the same day as the original, but this forthcoming 'Deluxe' CD version is an unconscionable ripoff, plain and simple.

Too many top 40 lightweights have adopted this reprehensible and 100% unnecessary practice/habit/strategy in recent years, but there's simply no remotely defensible reason for these fine folks to deliberately swindle (there's no other word for it) their ultra-loyal fanbase.

There were indeed several strong candidates for the follow-up to 'Goodbye Town', which ranks right behind 'Hello World' as my all-time favorite Lady Antebellum tune, but this boneheaded move was totally unavoidable, and especially since 'Golden' is less than five months old.

[cerulean]

Wow, this is really surprising, but I quite like this. I love the bluegrass feel, and the thumping drum beat and the "oh oh oh"s really help keep this mainstream. There's a lot (and maybe too much) going on in the track, but their vocals sound great and the chorus is absolutely delightful.

Also, random side note: I'm glad they haven't completely abandoned that particular Lady A logo on the single artwork. I was actually bitterly disappointed when Golden's album cover displayed such uninteresting font.

[someguy]

I like this song. There are others on the album I like much better, and would rather have seen as a single, but this is fine. That being said.....

Sept 30, 2013 19:22:19 GMT -5 Marv said:

I've never had a problem with deluxe CDs having purchased a ton of them including the exceptional-and-then-some 'Pioneer', as long as they come out on the same day as the original, but this forthcoming 'Deluxe' CD version is an unconscionable ripoff, plain and simple.

Too many top 40 lightweights have adopted this reprehensible and 100% unnecessary practice/habit/strategy in recent years, but there's simply no remotely defensible reason for these fine folks to deliberately swindle (there's no other word for it) their ultra-loyal fanbase.

There were indeed several strong candidates for the follow-up to 'Goodbye Town', which ranks right behind 'Hello World' as my all-time favorite Lady Antebellum tune, but this boneheaded move was totally unavoidable, and especially since 'Golden' is less than five months old.

I couldn't agree with this more. It's fine to have a deluxe edition that comes out at the same time as the regular edition, which gives people a choice as to which one they will buy, but I absolutely hate re-releases. I think they're greedy cash grabs, and deter people from buying albums. In fact, I think that they are a big part of why album sales declined in the early-mid 2000s (at least, initially. Obviously there were other factors at play). I thought that we were moving away from re-releases, and instead having deluxe editions released at the same time. Lady A and Hunter Hayes both pulling this stunt this year is a little disconcerting though. I almost hope this song flops on principle, despite liking it.

[rsmatto]

Sept 30, 2013 20:10:55 GMT -5 someguy said:

I like this song. There are others on the album I like much better, and would rather have seen as a single, but this is fine. That being said.....

Sept 30, 2013 19:22:19 GMT -5 Marv said:

I've never had a problem with deluxe CDs having purchased a ton of them including the exceptional-and-then-some 'Pioneer', as long as they come out on the same day as the original, but this forthcoming 'Deluxe' CD version is an unconscionable ripoff, plain and simple.

Too many top 40 lightweights have adopted this reprehensible and 100% unnecessary practice/habit/strategy in recent years, but there's simply no remotely defensible reason for these fine folks to deliberately swindle (there's no other word for it) their ultra-loyal fanbase.

There were indeed several strong candidates for the follow-up to 'Goodbye Town', which ranks right behind 'Hello World' as my all-time favorite Lady Antebellum tune, but this boneheaded move was totally unavoidable, and especially since 'Golden' is less than five months old.

I couldn't agree with this more. It's fine to have a deluxe edition that comes out at the same time as the regular edition, which gives people a choice as to which one they will buy, but I absolutely hate re-releases. I think they're greedy cash grabs, and deter people from buying albums. In fact, I think that they are a big part of why album sales declined in the early-mid 2000s (at least, initially. Obviously there were other factors at play). I thought that we were moving away from re-releases, and instead having deluxe editions released at the same time. Lady A and Hunter Hayes both pulling this stunt this year is a little disconcerting though. I almost hope this song flops on principle, despite liking it.

At least HH was 18 months past the release of the original and included more to make it worth buying. Really it's more marketing by labels to get albums to Gold/Platinum than anything else.

[avalyn]

According to RollingStone.com, they have plans of a new album next year. They have written and found songs for that as well. I guess my thinking is if that is true, why not save the new songs for that and make a new album out next year. Not release a deluxe then in several months release a new album.

[Old Fart In NC]

Add date is Oct. 14 according to Country Aircheck Weekly (p. 1).

www.countryaircheck.com/pdfs/current093013.pdf

[tsr]

This is on iTunes now. I really like it! The chorus is really loud, but I think it works with the song. It's not on the same level as "All for Love" and I'm going to be annoyed if that one goes unreleased, but this is probably a better choice after "Goodbye Town" surprisingly underperformed.

[LBTrocks]

This actually isn't a bad song. The melody is pleasing and I think it's better than most of their stuff. The chorus is a little loud, but not overbearing and it fits the song fine. I wonder if this one could have some crossover success?

[tim]

Sept 30, 2013 18:13:19 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

They'd been teasing for a few days now that they would announce something today, and a brand new song did cross my mind, but I'm still a little surprised.

I absolutely love the album Golden and I think there are a lot of great single choices left on it, so in that sense, this disappoints me a bit. On the other hand, "Compass" is infectious. The stomping, bluegrass-y feel at the beginning of the song is excellent. The chorus is a little overproduced but it's not bad at all. The lyrics are pretty good, too. From the album, "Better Off Now" and "All For Love" definitely have hit potential but I worry that they won't really release them now.

I'm not usually in favor of deluxe albums, either. However, perhaps this is the jolt of momentum that they need to get back to being the top group at country radio, given the fact that "Goodbye Town" curiously struggled and didn't really connect with fans as much as their singles typically do. A new batch of songs might get Lady A back on more people's minds for the holiday shopping season.

Lady A lost me after their rather disappointing Own The Night, but I was back on board with Golden. I thought "Goodbye Town" was one of the better songs out on radio which would have found a home on the charts not five or ten years ago (specifically a #1 90's hit).

I am also puzzled by the release of a deluxe album so soon and normally would be opposed to them, but if this helps Lady A regain some of their momentum so be it.

[musicbuff78]

Lady A didn't really lose me until after the release of Golden, and like others have mentioned, I'm fine with deluxe versions being released the same day, but later on down the line, I don't think a re-release should be issued.

Like I mentioned before, to me, this album is so blah and boring that they needed to make this the single to push off a new album....if they have to try to re-release Golden instead of waiting, they can at least tell there is something wrong with or missing from the album.

I was pretty much the one to introduce the board to Lady A when I first discovered them back on Myspace and I really have no interest in them at all anymore, especially with this song. I have a feeling if they don't get back to their debut album days that they aren't going to stay as popular as they once were.

Ty and Sugarland/Jennifer Nettles are all that is left tying me to the country genre anymore since Martina can't release anything like what brought her to stardom and Trisha seems to be retired from the recording career.

[onebuffalo]

Compass should be played next to Good Directions and Follow Your Arrow!

[joey2002]

Fun song. Love the bluegrass feel, and it's just such a feel-good tune.

It would be a shame though if tunes like "All For Love" never get released...

[Cody Wants Out...]

This...is very unusual of Lady A and/or Capitol to do, especially when there's plenty of material on the album that can easily bring them back to the penthouse on the country format. It's even more unusual when it's just two singles and less than five months into the era. I actually want them to stick around for a long time, but releasing new music (i.e. albums) as often as they are could be more of a detriment to them instead of a benefit. It was fine at first, but I personally hope something as sporadic as this doesn't become a habit for them (the label, not the act).

With that said, this is a good enough song where I enjoy it more than the two Golden singles so far. However, I still would've preferred something like "Get to Me", "Nothin' Like the First Time", or "Better Off Now (That You're Gone)" instead; the title track and "It Ain't Pretty" may have sufficed as well, but I see them being more of a risk at this point in the era. Regardless, this should have no problems going top 5 in the end and I also hope this strategy works out well for them because, quite frankly, it could go either way for not only the rest of the era, but also the duration of their career.

[samsager3]

I like this song a million times better than goodbye town, but in the same token feel like this strategy of releasing delux editions and picking singles off them for the radio is a kind of a rip off to people that bout the album but that's a discussion for another time. Pertaining this single I think tis very well written and unlike the last couple singles from them I think this one has all the power to get to the top and be a multi week smash. Whether it can do that after there last single didn't do what they were expecting and missed the top 10 I don't know. I realize they are stars and will get good adds to start with, but at some point even with a song that's a smash in waiting they have suffer some type of set back from picking a bad song to follow up the lead instead of a good one

[43dudleyvillas]

At the risk of getting into a categorization debate, "Compass"'s melody and feel are far too pop for me to hear any bluegrass in it. Yes, I hear the banjo, but it feels kind of ornamental, especially during the chorus. But given country radio's allergy to most country music, I don't think "Compass" deserves to be singled out.

It seems to me like Lady A has been in a bit of an identity crisis since making its follow-up to Need You Now. The success of that album's title track (and "I Run to You" before it) resulted in Lady A committing to adult contemporary pop, with pretty bland returns on Own the Night. I think the band has since admitted that Own the Night was "a little bit of a slip," and also that Own the Night was a conscious effort to chase "Need You Now"'s immense crossover success. As the articles I linked indicate, the band sensed its lost momentum after Own the Night and made a conscious effort to get more "organic" and "rootsy" with Golden. Yet they led off that album with a jaunty, sassy track that didn't quite fit them and doesn't really fit the rest of their typically earnest album, either. Just four months after the release of that album (whose sales have been slow compared to their previous two albums) and after "Goodbye Town"'s surprise underperformance, it feels like they are suddenly retooling again to find a sound that will work commercially. It feels kind of frantic to me. I know that releasing new music with increased frequency is the trend of the day, but I don't think it's a trend well-suited to growth when an artist is looking to develop or re-develop an identity. In this case, it also undermines all of the confidence Lady A had in Golden as their "artistic comeback" album.

As for the deluxe edition, it would be worse if fans couldn't purchase single tracks, but even then, fans who purchased a physical copy of the original album are screwed over in this deal. And fans who bought the original album at iTunes won't be allowed to "Complete the Album" again, will they? But at the same time, I think this is more of a visibility/momentum move with the unintended side effect of screwing over a few fans. I also think it's possible that Lady A and Capitol Nashville got unfavorable tea leaf readings for other single candidates from Golden. I quite like "Better Off (Now That You're Gone)" and "It Ain't Pretty" from Golden, but I'm not sure I see either as viable single candidates in the current country radio climate, especially after "Goodbye Town" missed the top-10.

On the bright side, "Compass" is likable and catchy enough, and I think Lady A will sell it well live. The lyrics are a little heavy on the platitudes, but at the same time, their optimism fits the band members' place in life right now. I'm going to watch this song's chart performance with some interest, because I didn't see "Goodbye Town"'s underperformance coming. Perhaps "Compass" being a pseudo-lead single will help it at radio, especially with Lady A's increased visibility when they promote the deluxe edition release?

Oct 1, 2013 11:13:25 GMT -5 onebuffalo said:

Compass should be played next to Good Directions and Follow Your Arrow!

Well-played.

[countrymusic20]

This song is awful. A vanilla sappy wanna be Mumford song that will do nothing for the sliding career of Lady A. After a bad single choice on the underperforming Goodbye Town it looks like the band and/or the label is now in panic mode. Better Off Now That You're Gone would have been a much better single choice and could have got Lady A back on track w/ radio. Now it looks like the band and label are going to F this up so bad that It Ain't Pretty might never be a single - possibly the best song they've ever recorded. I'm betting Compass won't break the top 10.