CMT Blog: Archive

Lady Antebellum Cover Makes Country Look Cool

Posted: December 4th, 2009 at 10:28 am  |  By: Alison Bonaguro  

Lady Antebellum - Need You NowI don't know how a graphic designer approaches an album cover. That blank paper that was once 12" x 12" but is now only about 5" x 5" must be so intimidating. But whoever designed Lady Antebellum's upcoming album, Need You Now, deserves some pretty high praise. I mean, look at it. One glance tells you everything you need to know about the music inside: cool but more accessible, country but way sexier, and kind of bad ass but with a softer side. And I love the way it captures each band member's own signature look: Charles Kelley with the long trench coat, Dave Haywood with the leather jacket and Hillary Scott with the smoky eyes and nude lips. Most of all, I really dig the way the words become the art. So take that, all of you people who say that country isn't cool. The album comes out Jan. 26.

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Filed Under: Albums, News
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Reader Comments

  • Mary says:

    Posted: December 4th, 2009 at 3:50 pm  

    Yum

  • Michelle R. says:

    Posted: December 4th, 2009 at 9:56 pm  

    I can’t wait for that album!

  • William says:

    Posted: December 5th, 2009 at 2:19 am  

    Pop country is uncool no matter how it looks

  • Andy says:

    Posted: December 5th, 2009 at 4:24 am  

    Hey, it’s called country pop…..get it right! lol. Im very excited for the new album.

  • Andrew says:

    Posted: December 5th, 2009 at 10:37 am  

    Who cares about the style of the album cover? It’s the substance of the music that matters.

  • hotelmotel says:

    Posted: December 5th, 2009 at 10:45 am  

    Who says the substance of the music matters more than the style of the album cover? People buy music for many reasons, and some of it has little to do with the substance of it. Some people buy it to fit in with their friends, or because their identity is somehow tied up in it, or to rebel against something or who knows why else. The artwork on the album cover may be relevant to those things.

    Music serves many functions and some of those functions aren’t all that related to musical quality.

    No doubt the album cover is an important part of marketing the group and of getting the group’s message out. In fact, the art of the album cover may be more interesting than the music itself. I think a discussion of how album covers achieve certain goals (covey a message, et cetera) can be as interesting a discussion as one on the substance of the music itself.

  • Redmaz says:

    Posted: December 5th, 2009 at 11:28 am  

    No Andy, Willim is right. It’s called Pop Country. You see, Pop is the industry, and this type of Country is a genre within it. Same as Americana/Roots. There are many genres within it. Including Country

  • Katie says:

    Posted: December 6th, 2009 at 12:00 pm  

    I don’t think a good album cover hurts anything. Obviously an album can be incredible but have a horrible cover, but sometimes a bad cover can be off putting to someone less familiar with the artist and give the wrong impression as to what to expect on the album.
    Normally I don’t think much about this, because I know what I want to buy for my own reasons, but I do appeciate a cover that makes me feel cool for buying it.

  • Netteo says:

    Posted: December 6th, 2009 at 9:37 pm  

    I’m not sure about that cover. Too dull looking (color wise).

  • Peacock Queen says:

    Posted: December 7th, 2009 at 1:10 pm  

    The album cover does not prompt me to buy or not to buy. It is the artist and the music I am after. But I have to admit that this is a very striking photo of LA, and will draw people to it.

  • Jessie says:

    Posted: January 9th, 2010 at 5:03 pm  

    What is the designer name of the trench coat Hillary is wearing in the Video “I Need You Now”?

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