Laura Bell Bundy ‘Another Piece of Me’ – Album Review

More through accident than design, the recent SaladGate saga has meant it’s as good a time as any for female country artists to be releasing a new record. With big releases arriving this summer from Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini, Ashley Monroe, and Maddie and Tae, the next few months could prove vital in gauging whether or not the campaign to include a better proportion of females on radio will have any lasting effect.

So here we have Laura Bell-Bundy, the 34 year old Kentucky native, who just happens to be a very successful Broadway and TV actress alongside being a country music singer-songwriter; multi-talented she certainly is.

Normally I would open with the line “Here we have Laura Bell Bundy’s new album” except it’s not really that new. ‘Another Piece of Me’ was originally penned for release back in 2012, but things didn’t quite go to plan as she explained in an interview with ‘FOXCountry’ “I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that this record was pretty much in the can two years ago at least. I was signed at Universal…and when the new regime came, things kind of got pulled and new songs were added and things of that nature. And then eventually we decided to go our separate ways and I signed with Big Machine“.

Clearly Big Machine felt that ‘Another Piece of Me’ contained enough material to warrant the investment. After all Bundy’s country debut ‘Achin and Shakin’ peaked at number 5 in the Billboard country charts, which is a commendable effort. Although Laura’s acting work has meant she hasn’t been completely out the limelight, such is the rate in which the musical landscape changes, it would be interesting to know what their expectations are of the upcoming release.

The opening track of the album ‘Love Me Like A Lady’ kicks off with a catchy electric guitar hook; the intro reminded me a little bit of the Shania Twain hit ‘I’m Gonna Get You Good’. With a steady chord progression through the main verses and a killer solo on the choruses, ‘Love Me Like A lady’ wouldn’t look out of place with some of Shania’s music. Much like Kellie Pickler, Laura Bell-Bundy’s southern drawl gives her a vocals a charming but distinctive sound. Laura has co-written many of the songs on the album, including the opener for this record.

So first impressions? Well, she certainly has that sassy side. ‘Love Me Like A Lady’ runs with the theme of a girl who in the bluntest way possible fancies a bit of action. Now we’ve seen plenty examples of men doing the same, albeit more crudely in some cases. “I’ll be here in your t-shirt, just sittin’ here thinking about that sweet note, proving chivalry ain’t dead, I’m a sucker for the flowers, I’ll be yours for hours.” Encouraging the said guy to make a bit of en effort. The chorus is simple but so so catchy, ‘Come on kiss me, hold me tight, I’ll make you melt if you call me baby, I’ll treat you like a man if you love me right”, with the drum and mandolin giving this one a lot of depth. ‘Love Me Like A Lady’ has summer tune written all over it, at least for the female audience. I can genuinely see this one picking up some good airplay if released by Big Machine and would certainly be a solid contender for live performance on a bigger stage. Watch this space, I think this one is top ten worthy.

The second track ‘Two Step’ is co-written by Colt Ford and Laura Bell Bundy, the former of whom has a cameo in the song. Much the like the first track, this continues with the ‘rock twang’ theme, and again another track which you feel was written with potential commercial success in mind. In a similar vein to the previous song, there is an underlying theme of a wild party girl looking for a guy to make his move while in the mean time, “I’m gonna rock my cowboy hat and pink stilettos We’re gonna stomp and kick until they make us all go home…are you gonna sit here and think or you going to buy me a drink.” The chorus, written with memorability as opposed to anything else, could easily pass as a pop track. The only thing that I feel lets ‘Two Step’ down is the cameo by Colt Ford, straight out the Florida Georgia Line book of bro. “Well, hey little lady maybe you and me Could possibly get together with a shot of Jack D”. His part does provide a guy’s perspective, intended so that the song could be sung by both sexes, I guess it’s the just the fact it’s rapped is off putting. If I want to listen to some rap I’ll crack on some Kanye, but like spotting a cow in a field full of sheep, it just looks odd and for me doesn’t belong in country music.

‘Happy Yet’ takes the heavy, rocky production down a couple of notches. Written by David Frasier and Craig Wiseman, I could have imagined this being performed by someone like Carrie Underwood. The summary of the song is a guy has been a bit of an idiot, dumped a girl, then thought oh shit, better try and win her back. Except the said girl in question has other plans (on a side note, who would dump Laura-Bell!?). “I could get together for a coffee And hear you say how you wished that you never tossed me And help you sort out your laundry list of regrets But I ain’t through being happy yet”. The chorus in this instance tones down the instrumentation and allows the vocals to shine. Definitely one of the stronger songs.

‘She Only Wants To Dance’ shows off a lighter, softer, more innocent tone to Laura Bell Bundy’s vocal. Similar stylistically to some of Danielle Bradbery’s music, it’s a relate-able track about wanting to let loose on a Friday night. With a slight hint of a reggae influence, think ‘One Way Ticket’ by Carrie Underwood and you’ll know what I mean. A playful cheerful number, ‘She Only Wants to Dance’ is solid.

The next track ‘China and Wine’ is the kind of song which would be accompanied by the words ‘Hey, lets take this way down’ when performed live. Co-written by Bundy, this is really where she shows her song-writing skill. With the pedal steel, and faint real drum beat aside, it’s mainly an acoustic-led track, and probably one of the most personal tracks on the album. For those who weren’t aware Laura’s parents divorced when she was a teenager, so ‘China and Wine’ is very much about that experience. “How they loved with good intentions Vows too sacred to break apart In my mind they failed to mention They could have a change of heart“. This line alone really puts us in the shoes of teenager who’s struggling to come to terms with her parents divorce, “Fourteen I didn’t want to want to choose one But they both had a house and room for me..like china and wine they were fine.”

Cleverly the song starts with a tale of marriage of her parents then by the end she is referring to her own marriage, and musing on the different perspective she now has as an adult “In my mind I could never forgive them, but I had a change of heart..now I’m standing at the end of a long aisle A good man at the other end waitin’ for me…Love is fragile but it won’t break you Long as you love with your heart”. A beautifully written heartfelt song. For me this is what country music is all about, drawing from real life experiences and writing about them. It really allows you to connect with artists and their story, and just in this song alone I feel I know a little of Laura’s story and how she got to where she is.

‘Let’s Pretend We’re Married’ could easily work as a duet, and is one of the stand out tracks on the record. With a old style honky-tonk feel, musically think ‘You Ain’t Dolly’ by Ashley Monroe and Blake Shelton. Again allowing Laura’s deep vocals really shine through, it’s just so damn catchy, and with a fast pace it rolls off the tongue nicely. Now although not as much as in years past, Christianity and its associated values are still of prevalence to many fans of country music, and this is all about horrifying poor old mama. “Mama’s voice is ringing in my head Invite him in, he’ll end in your bed And that ain’t Christian….Oh, let’s pretend we’re married, That way what we’re doing won’t seem wrong Let’s pretend we’re married all night long.” Well written, and well performed. If given airtime, this is a nailed-on hit surely?

‘I Am What I Am’ is a solid album track, a relatively generic offering about being true to yourself and taking risks. The opening line is my favorite part “Sometimes I’m as mad as midnight, with eyes like a storm brewing in the blue sky, got a mouth like a sailor drunk on whiskey… I am what I am”.

Laura Bell Bundy often describes herself as a very spiritual person, musing that some of her songwriting comes as a result of devine inspiration. ‘That’s What Angels Do’ refers to her mother as an angel in the aftermath of a heartbreak. “He drove away, I couldn’t move First bitter taste of what love can do Sat on that porch, alone and cried It hurt so bad, I could have died Then Mama came out Wrapped her arms around me and told me God has someone better for me.” The Chorus really shows off Bundy’s vocal and is probably the best chorus lyrically. Many look to faith in need for inspiration, so I can feel this catching on in the Christian scene.

‘Making Me Feel’ really suits Laura’s personality down to a tee, allowing that southern twang to really let loose. Again sung with a hint of seductive charm, “Baby you’re an ice cream sundae with a cherry on top You’re like the prize that’s hiding inside a Crackerjack box”. Musically unmistakably country, it’s nice to finally hear something that isn’t something else masquerading as country. ‘Kentucky Dirty’, however, while a solid party track, for me it feels a little over produced, with hints of EDM I felt were unneeded. Although unspectacular, it’s the sort that would be more likely to get airplay then some of the others, but again that’s just personal opinion.

‘Give My Broken Heart A Break’ is a song of heartbreak and conflicting emotions where the girl just really wants you to leave her alone. This is a cracking song, and again the chorus is memorable and genuinely catchy. ‘Maps out the window’, meanwhile, is a let’s go on a cruise track. It’s not a bad song, very much in the pop/country bracket, and I guess the only reservation I would have is that it doesn’t sound overly different to what’s already out there.

Out of the last tracks on the album ‘Another Piece Of Me’ stood out. Written by Bundy and Kristian Bush, and you can definitely feel a hint of Sugarland about this one, to the point you could imagine Jennifer Nettles singing it. Vocally, however, Laura suits this song to a tee, “Deep inside my heart, there’s a little hole I leave a piece of me behind, everywhere I go..I see them all before me, shattered on the ground The ones that matter most and the ones that keep me down Like the fear inside my mother she got from her old man Or the guilt inside my father that I still don’t understand.” Lyrically this is one of the stronger tracks, about her experiences (however heartbreaking) making her who she is, summarising her journey with the words “From the little girl inside of me dyin’ to get out, to the new love here in front of me that I can’t live without”.

Overall after listening to ‘Another Piece Of Me’, it’s kind of left me wondering on what planet Universal thought it would be a great idea not to release the album and part ways. Now in her 30’s (I still struggle to see how that is even possible) they felt Laura Bell Bundy perhaps could not pull of that mass market appeal. With excellent writing collaborations with the likes of Jay DeMarcus, Kristian Bush and Ashely Monroe to go alongside her own talented writing, you have a good mix of heartfelt ballads and up tempo cheatin’ songs. There is enough to suggest there are a few solid radio hits to get some airplay, but there is enough quality in the songs such as ‘Let’s Pretend That We’re Married’, ‘Happy Yet’, ‘China and Wine’ and ‘Another Piece Of Me’ to make people buy the record in its entirety as opposed to a single.