Jennifer Nettles, ‘Sugar’ [Listen]
“Sugar” is the name of Jennifer Nettles’ new single, but it’s also an apt description. Sonically the funky country jam is ear candy, but the lyrics are surprisingly tart.
Nettles sings of keeping the boys at arm's length during this preview of the music she’s hard at work on. “Sugar” will come from her second solo album, release date TBD.
“Mama always told me that it takes a little bit of honey / If you wanna attract yourself a bee / But I kinda like it with a little sting / I’m gonna make’em buzz when they hear me sing / And they’ll swarm around me like I was a queen,” she sings during the second verse.
Brandy Clark and Jessie Jo Dillon helped Nettles write the song, while Dann Huff steps in to produce. That’s a big change from her debut solo album, which featured Rick Rubin at the helm of a very experimental project. If the lead single is a true indicator of what’s to come, longtime fans of Sugarland can begin smiling.
During the chorus, Nettles cuts to the point, seemingly wearing a wry smile as she sings: “And all the boys say / Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme some of that sugar / Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme something sweet / They want my sugar and spice and everything nice / And they’re begging for a taste of my cherry pie / But I’m never, never, never, never ever gone give ’em a piece.”
Nettles' next album is the follow-up to her 2014 release, That Girl.
Why Fans Will Love It: Nettles returns to a sound that her fans grew up loving while she was active with Sugarland.
Key Lyrics: "And all the boys say / Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme some of that sugar / Gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme, gimme something sweet."
Did You Know?: No, Sugarland hasn't broken up. Both Nettles and Kristian Bush maintain they'll work together again in the future.
Listen to Jennifer Nettles, “Sugar”