Jennifer Nettles seems to be on an amazingly creative roll lately. The singer seems to have found her niche in both music and acting, and might I say, she’s quite talented in both areas. Jennifer Nettles is a person you can’t help but like. She just has that lovable personality. She’s fun, full of life, and seems to be up for any challenge. This year has found Nettles doing a balancing act between show business and music. Nettles has kept up a steady tour schedule, and has been working on her new upcoming album, on top of her acting pursuits. In July, Nettles released the single, “Sugar”, from her upcoming album. The single served as a departure of sorts, featuring a fuller sound/production compared to the sound features on her debut solo record. It is a song where you either love it or you hate it, there’s not a middle ground. For me the track was sassy and fun, with its accompanying video showing Nettles in all her show-biz glory.
In February of last year, Jennifer made her stage debut as femme fatal, Roxie Hart in one of the most famous musicals ever, Chicago. Just this past week, Jennifer made her acting debut in Dolly Parton’s made-for-TV- special, “Coat of Many Colors”, playing the role of Dolly’s mother. I was one of the viewers, and I have to say, Jennifer did an excellent job. The show ended up garnering 13 million viewers, and became the #1 show in its time-slot on NBC. It was the highest ranking show in NBC history in ratings. Not bad for a debut, eh?
Now, here we are with a new single from the ambitious songstress; the second single (and the new lead) from her second solo record. “Unlove You” is gorgeous. The track finds Nettles at her absolute best, vocally. Jennifer always shines on powerful ballads, as her strong, powerful voice carries them off perfectly. The song finds the narrator telling her lover that she can’t un-love him, she can’t just flip a switch and just forget what they had. It’s evident that the relationship seems to be a temporary one, with the narrator struggling with the fact.
The production complements the song perfectly, not too heavy, not too light, mainly featuring guitars and light drums. The song is a builder, it starts out soft and slow, and builds into a powerful climax, much like love itself. Jennifer opens the song explaining, “I could break down and cry/ laugh it off and deny/ draw lines in the sand/ and count on both hands/ all the reasons why/ This just won’t work/ it’ll be nothing but hurt”, then moves into the chorus, “I can’t unlove you/ My heart can’t unbreak/ I can’t unfeel how it felt/ but feel so much myself/ my whole body ached/ and I can’t unknow this/ Lord, I wish I knew how/ but I can’t unlove you/ so come love me for now.”
It’s not until after the first chorus, that you realize that this song is about two people having an affair. It suddenly becomes clear when Jennifer sings, “If I were 25/ I know just what I’d do/ I would have already kissed/ til I was drunk on your lips/ a thousand times too few/ but we have other lives/ and we know it ain’t right/ this is going nowhere.” Jennifer is absolutely brilliant at emoting, making the song even more powerful.
The climax of this single is when Jennifer sings, “They call it fire/ bit it feels just like drowning/ well the weight of my burning desire/ closing in all around me/ I wasn’t lost until you found me.” Her voice dripping with heartache and desperation coupled with the excellent phrasing really knocks this song out of the ball park and drives it home. It’s an excellent song, and I certainly hope it gets a chance at airplay! It’s a beautiful combination of desperation, desire, heartbreak, and passion. Have a listen, you won’t be sorry!
Originally posted here.
