Old Dominion’s new album, ‘Barbara,’ won’t lean on band’s record-breaking laurels
NEW YORK (AP) — When Old Dominion’s eighth group of the year victory broke the tie for consecutive wins at the Academy of Country Music Awards last month, it changed the record books — but not their perspective.
“They’re certainly wonderful honors that we get, but that’s not in any way how we really measure our success or think. We can’t let that kind of stuff creep in to the creative process because that’s when we’ll start to get off course,” said Matthew Ramsey, lead vocalist and guitarist. “We try to protect each other from those outside influences a little bit and just make sure that we’re … not chasing after some sort of reaction or award, or chasing after what we think the radio wants to play. We just have to make what we love.”
Old Dominion has been celebrated for intertwining different musical styles while within country music. Along with Ramsey, the band includes Brad Tursi (guitar/banjo), Trevor Rosen (guitar/piano), Geoff Sprung (bass) and Whit Sellers (percussion). They have spent the last two years crafting “Barbara,” out Aug. 22 via Columbia Nashville/Sony Music Nashville.
The project follows 2023’s “Memory Lane” album and last year’s “ Odies But Goodies ” compilation, which Ramsey says is even more eclectic than past works.
“We just write constantly. And we’ve had albums where we’ve kind of gone deeper into the well and picked out older songs,” explained the 47-year-old. “This one, not so much the case.”
The 13-track album is not named after a real woman but is an imagined composite of a person who embodies many of the group’s various personality traits. It includes the released singles “Me Most Nights” and “Making Good Time,” along with the four-on-the-floor “Talk Country” and the R&B-infused “What Doesn’t Kill a Memory.” Just as introspection is a fundamental element of country music, it’s also the sweet spot on this album.
“Miss You Man” is dedicated to friend and writing collaborator Andrew Dorff, who died in 2016 during a vacation, while “Goodnight Music City” reflects on the band’s career.
“It has all the reverence about Nashville and a little bit of the jaded side to it, too. We’ve been through it in Nashville, as anyone goes through when they’re trying to chase this crazy dream,” said Ramsey, who revealed the song is inspired by the children’s book “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown. “It’s such a meaningful song to us all … we’ve played it live one time at the Ryman Auditorium, and we were all crying by the end of it.”
The band also looks within on “Man or the Song,” as Ramsey questions, “If I put my guitar down, would I disappear? / Move back to my hometown, would you still be here?” Ramsey says it’s his favorite song.
“That’s kind of what it feels like once you get to this level and you’re surrounded by all these people that are helping you make your dreams come true,” he said. “Who’s around for the right reasons can certainly creep into the conversation. It can be a lonely profession … I hope you love me for me, and not for this crazy job I have.”
Coinciding with the release of “Barbara,” the band is prepping its “How Good Is That” world tour which launches Thursday at Credit One Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina.
Throughout the past decade, Old Dominion has earned a loyal fan base in a genre often criticized as rigid, with frequent debates about equal radio play, what determines pure country music and who should be allowed to participate. But while there’s no denying the group is authentically country, the irony is not lost on them that they’ve been able to cut through the Nashville noise by not sticking to only traditional country sounds.
“Whenever we wrote a song and recorded it, we just wanted to make sure that we were not chasing anything other than the truest form of that song and what was going to deliver that message as clearly as we wanted it to be,” said Ramsey. “Our fans now, I think, are coming to expect that from us; they’re looking for the surprise that we’re gonna throw in there, rather than the same old thing. … We don’t take that for granted. We know that’s a rare thing in the genre.”
“Barbara” will be released Aug. 22.
‘Barbara’ tracklist
1. “Making Good Time”
2. “Water My Flowers”
3. “Me Most Nights”
4. “Man or the Song”
5. “Break Your Mama’s Heart”
6. “Miss You Man”
7. “Talk Country”
8. “Late Great Heartbreak”
9. “Crying in a Beach Bar”
10. “One of Us”
11. “What Doesn’t Kill a Memory”
12. “Sip in the Right Direction”
13. “Goodnight Music City”
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Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
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This story corrects the tour launch to June.