Meat and Candy
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Meat and Candy is the debut studio album by American country music group Old Dominion. It was released on November 6, 2015 via RCA Records Nashville. The album includes the single "Break Up with Him", which has charted No. 1 on Country Airplay. The album's second single, "Snapback" released to country radio on January 11, 2016.
Conception
Songwriter and producer Shane McAnally came up with the album's name, using the words "meat and candy" to suggest the "heftier songs" and "lighter fare" respectively.[2] For the album cover, the band found photographer Michael Elins, to create an image of a female soda jerk before a table covered with meat products and candy. Lead singer Matt Ramsey told Rolling Stone that the album cover "shows our personality without showing us, and it definitely shows that we're trying to do something different".[2]
Critical reception
Giving it an "A-", Tammy Ragusa of Nash Country Weekly wrote that "The combination of catchy rhymes, clever lyrics, Matt Ramsey's warm, strong voice, and the band's subtle but delicious harmonie will have you singing, clapping, and dancing along."[1] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic rated the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying that "this is a sharper, savvier variation of Rascal Flatts: crossover pop as suited for an office as it is for a make-out session. That's an endorsement, not a dismissal: it's hard to sound this light and easy, but Old Dominion do it with aplomb and they're such talented craftsmen that Meat & Candy sounds better on the fifth play than it does on the first, and it sounds mighty fine that first time through."[4]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at No. 5 on Top Country Albums, and No. 16 on Billboard 200, selling 20,500 copies in its first week.[5] It peaked at No. 3 on the Country Albums chart on its 17th week of release in March 2016 due to sale at both iTunes and Google Play stores, with 10,200 sold for the week.[6] The album has sold 109,400 copies in the US as of May 2016.[7]
Track listing
- "Snapback" (Brad Tursi, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen) – 3:26
- "Half Empty" (Matt Jenkins, Ramsey, Rosen) – 2:51
- "Wrong Turns" (Jenkins, Ramsey, Rosen) – 3:30
- "Said Nobody" (Tursi, Ramsey, Rosen) – 3:06
- "Crazy Beautiful Sexy" (Josh Osborne, Ross Copperman, Ramsey) – 3:10
- "Nowhere Fast" (Jenkins, Ramsey, Rosen) – 3:10
- "Beer Can in a Truck Bed" (Jenkins, Ramsey, Rosen) – 3:22
- "Break Up with Him" (Tursi, Geoff Sprung, Ramsey, Rosen, Whit Sellers) – 3:27
- "Song for Another Time" (Tursi, Jenkins, Ramsey, Rosen) – 3:14
- "Til It's Over" (Jimmy Robbins, Ramsey, Shane McAnally) – 3:28
- "We Got It Right" (Ramsey, Copperman, McAnally) – 3:13
Personnel
Old Dominion
- Matthew Ramsey – clapping, electric guitar, keyboards, lead vocals, background vocals
- Trevor Rosen – clapping, acoustic guitar, hi-string guitar, keyboards, background vocals
- Whit Sellers – drums, percussion, programming
- Geoff Sprung – bass guitar, clapping, background vocals
- Brad Tursi – clapping, electric guitar, hi-string guitar, percussion, programming, background vocals
Additional musicians
- Dave Cohen – Hammond B-3 organ, piano, synthesizer, Wurlitzer electric piano
- Mike Durham – electric guitar
- Tommy Garris – background vocals
- Ryan Gore – percussion, programming
- Devin Malone – electric guitar
- Shane McAnally – background vocals
- Ben Phillips – programming
- Matt Stanfield – keyboards, programming
- Ilya Toshinsky – banjo, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, resonator guitar, hi-string guitar, mandolin
Charts
| Chart (2015–16) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[8] | 30 |
| US Billboard 200[9] | 16 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[10] | 3 |
References
- ^ a b Ragusa, Tammy (November 9, 2015). "Reviews: Old Dominion - 'Meat and Candy'". Nash Country Weekly. 22 (45): 23. ISSN 2379-9137.
- ^ a b c Hudak, Joseph (October 30, 2015). "Inside Old Dominion's Wildly Irreverent 'Meat and Candy' Album Cover". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ http://www.musicrow.com/calendars-2/single-releases/
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Meat and Candy review". Allmusic. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (November 17, 2015). "Country Albums Chart Report: November 17, 2015". Roughstock.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (March 8, 2016). "Country Albums Chart Report: March 8, 2016". Roughstock.
- ^ Bjorke, Matt (May 18, 2016). "Country Album Sales Chart: May 16, 2016". Roughstock.
- ^ "Old Dominion Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ "Old Dominion Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
- ^ "Old Dominion Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2015.