After chasing their dream for years, and after having an amazing stretch over the past year, Old Dominion is set to release their debut full-length major label album, titled ‘Meat and Candy.’ While the band has done everything from touring with Chase Rice and Kenny Chesney to notching their first number one song, as a band, just this week, it’s been quite a whirlwind for this tight knit group of best friends. But the release of ‘Meat and Candy‘ is the culmination of all that hard work and with an advanced listen, we became even bigger fans of Old Dominion.
1.) ‘Snapback’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, and Brad Tursi.
Impression: If you have gotten to see one of Old Dominion shows, whether it be at Boston’s Royale or the Marshfield Fair, you most likely have seen them perform ‘Snapback.’ The song’s title refers to a style of hat but the lyrics show so much more than a hat- it’s the woman wearing the ‘Snapback’ that is the real focus of the song and the lyrics. The fun, upbeat and flirtatious song features some really great instrumentals and is a great way to kick off ‘Meat and Candy.‘
Favorite Lyrics: Those stars need to be wished on. Your skin needs to be kissed on…
2.) ‘Half Empty’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, and Matt Jenkins.
Impression: The guys continue ‘Meat and Candy‘ with another new song and the track plays with the longtime idiom of is the glass half full or is it half empty? The song takes place in a bar where a guy comes up to a girl and makes conversation, trying to figure out why she’s there and what she’s up for by figuring out if her glass if half full (i.e. she wants to stick around) or half empty (she’s on her way out). The guys are able to capture this frequent occasion in a song, like no one else has before, with their masterful songwriting.
Favorite Lyrics: Is your glass half full or is it half empty? Are you only having one or one too many? Are you drinking alone or having one more with me?
3.) ‘Wrong Turns’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, and Matt Jenkins.
Impression: ‘Wrong Turns’ was previously released on their self-titled EP that came out last year and the true heartbeat of the song is the keys heard throughout the song from Trevor. It’s definitely a sexy song lyrically (just read that chorus) and based on what we have seen from the live performances, the ladies love it!
Favorite Lyrics: Who knows where this is winding up. I don’t mind if its getting late. Lucky stars are lining up. She’s loving every move I make…
4.) ‘Said Nobody’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, and Brad Tursi.
Impression: What’s the most ridiculous thing that you have heard someone say? Chances are that the guys may sing about that in this song. The song hits on a bunch of things that ‘Said Nobody’ like getting sick of a sunset or going home from the bar alone. It’s a slower song but a lot of fun and has the sound that Old Dominion fans have come to love about the band.
Favorite Lyrics: I don’t want to know what it feels like, to be loved by a girl like you. The last thing I need is your heart beating to my heartbeat..
5.) ‘Crazy Beautiful Sexy’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Josh Osborne, and Ross Copperman.
Impression: Out of the new tracks on the record, this is our favorite. Lyrically, the song is genius as it is so basic and is a theme that is sung about so much but the songwriters described it in a completely different way. And Old Dominion’s sound is perfect for the track with their laid back attitudes. We love all of the wishful analogies to describe what the guy wants to be to the woman. It’s funny, it has the ‘awww’ factor and it will end up being a big song for Old Dominion.
Favorite Lyrics: I wanna be one of those late night things that keeps you up. I wanna be the digits that you dial when you get drunk…
6.) ‘Nowhere Fast’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Matt Jenkins.
Impression: If you’re a fan of ‘Wrong Turns,’ you’ll like ‘Nowhere Fast’ as it has that sexy chorus that will surely appease Old Dominion fans of all kinds. With the lyrics, ‘One summer of sunsets, was as far as we were gonna get,’ it’s easy to tell that the song is all about a couple in one of those fabled summer-long relationships, but it won’t let them stop them from having fun and giving it their all for whatever time they have together.
Favorite Lyrics: With beer on our breath in a parking lot. Kill the headlights so we wouldn’t get caught. Radio glow on the dash…
7.) ‘Beer Can in a Truck Bed’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, and Matt Jenkins.
Impression: If you like clapping along to a song, ‘Beer Can in a Truck Bed’ is for you! You’ll be clapping along like it’s the Friends theme song. We catch ourselves doing just that every time we hear this track. If you own a truck, go throw a beer can in your truck bed, and go for a spin- you’ll figure out what the song is about… Well, kinda. It’s not that literal!
Favorite Lyrics: I need a cold drink cause you’re a hot mess. Let the night do what it does best…
8.) ‘Break Up With Him’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Brad Tursi, Geoff Sprung and Whit Sellers.
Impression: ‘Break Up With Him’ is currently the number one song in the nation and deservingly so! When the track originally hit country radio forty weeks ago, it was the most added song on country radio and had previously held the top spot on Sirius XM’s The Highway Hot 45 Countdown for six consecutive weeks! The song is ridiculously catchy and fans love the spoken verses by leadman Matthew Ramsey in the beginning of the song.
Favorite Lyrics: Whatever you got to say to get through to him that you ain’t in love. C’mon you can’t deny that you and I kinda fit like a glove…
9.) ‘Song for Another Time’ – ‘Written by Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Brad Tursi, and Matt Jenkins.
Impression: Love, love, LOVE this song! This needs to be a single as we think it could skyrocket up the charts to the top spot! In particular, we love the addictive chorus with the references to the classic songs and the perfect balance of vocal and instruments. Did we mention that we love this song? We may have lied about ‘Crazy Beautiful Sexy’ being our favorite…
Favorite Lyrics: Let’s sing Brown Eyed Girl, Sweet Caroline, Free Fallin’, Small Town Saturday Night. Before you lose that loving feeling, let’s go Dancing on the Ceiling…
10.) ‘Til It’s Over’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Shane McAnally, and Jimmy Robbins.
Impression: Tongue twisting at times, ‘Til It’s Over’ is another sultry song all about not looking too far ahead and just focusing on the present. It’s a good message to remind us to live in the moment and not in the future. Worry about now, not later.
Favorite Lyrics: Or if it’s heading up the stairs or down the block. If it lasts forever or until 3 o’clock…
11.) ‘We Got It Right’ – Written by Matthew Ramsey, Shane McAnally, and Ross Copperman.
Impression: Old Dominion wraps up their album with ‘We Got It Right’ which features this really compelling beat and sound. From the first chords, you will be hooked. And we love the song’s meaning as it gives a really good way to look at a relationship gone awry- to look at the good things that happened, the things that meant something to them when they were together, the memories. It’s a beautiful song that should not be overlooked! Make sure you give this one a listen!
Favorite Lyrics: We got tequila, we got tattoos. Heart with a dagger. Nothing to lose. Black and white strip from that photo booth. We thought we were cool…
With a band that is comprised of five songwriters, we can only imagine the catalog of songs that Old Dominion had available to them when it came to choosing which songs would be on their debut full-length major-label album. When we first found out that their song ‘Shut Me Up’ was not on the record, we were surprised. Not only was it the only song that was on their EP and not on the record, but it was also the lead single off that EP. But remarkably, ‘Meat and Candy‘ doesn’t miss a step. The album has everything you would expect from Old Dominion with their unique sound and songwriting perspective. There’s a reason why Old Dominion is one of the fastest rising bands in country music today and they show exactly why with this record. On a day that country icons like Alan Jackson and Tim McGraw are also releasing new albums, don’t overlook the new comers on the block. You won’t regret it.
You can pre-order your copy of Old Dominion’s ‘Meat and Candy’ on iTunes here.