Roots, Toots n' Hoots Blog

Lady Antebellum steps forward

Jeffrey Remz  |  May 21, 2010

Lady Antebellum has come very far very fast. Just a few years after releasing their self-titled debut, the trio announced today that they are launching a headlining tour.

Some artists takes years to be in that position. Josh Turner is sort of there, opening tours like Alan Jackson's Freight Train tour, while also headlining. Others, like Lady A and Miranda Lambert, are far more fortunate. Lambert launched her first headlining tour in 2008 without a lot of hits or albums under her belt. Since then, she has alternated between doing her own shows and being a support act.

Lady Antebellum first debuted in 2008 with their self-titled disc. Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley hit pay dirt right away with hit singles. They also did not wait very long to hit the road. that seemingly is a sure way to build an audience, something more necessary than ever given the state of CD sales. If you have a fan base, that will help an artist survive assuming they're going to come to concerts. In Lady A's case, they apparently also have bought the music because "Need You Now' has sold about 2 million units.

The group puts out catchy music with a strong first album. "Need You Now" contains a great title track and singing, but the rest of the album doesn't stand up to the debut. No matter because the hits keep coming.

Credit is due all around no doubt - to the band, its management team, its label, Capitol Records Nashville - for putting Lady Antebellum where it is now - in the enviable position of being able to headline a tour only two albums into their career. Of course, this could be a double-edged sword because Lady Antebellum will have to deal with their sudden burst of fame at a bad bad time for the music industry. At least Lady A has put themselves in the position where they are able to deal with such issues.