Lady Antebellum, “Love Don’t Live Here”

Who doesn’t enjoy a calmly collected kiss-off number?   Sure, it doesn’t have the emotional intensity of a tortured Dwight Yoakam record, but there’s something to be said for showing someone the door in a coldly detached way.     There are a few too many lines I’ve heard too many times before, particularly the suggestion to lie in the bed you’ve made, and the song’s mood changes abruptly at the end, when the singer suddenly starts growling the title.    But overall, this is pretty good.

Written by David Haywood, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott

Grade: B

Listen: Love Don’t Live Here

Buy:  Love Don’t Live Here

13 Comments

  1. I agree 100%. And in comment to Leeann, are you a traditionalist or something because aside from that type of music it seems you always critisize wether a song is “country enough” or not.

  2. I like this song it’s pretty good and I agree with the review 100% also, although I’d give it a B+ . This is a good debut song for their country career.

  3. I’m not necessarily a traditionalist, but the lead’s voice sounds like Mack Powell from Third Day or maybe the lead singer from 3 Doors Down, both voices I like. It just doesn’t sound very country to me. I should say, however, that I enjoy traditional country music quite a bit, along with a lot of the new stuff. I won’t deny that I tend to lean towards the traditional when I really think about it though. If I’m listening to country music, I want to hear remnants of country sound…if I’m listening to other types of music (Metallica, Nirvana, Green Day, Red Hot Chili Peppers, etc.) I’m perfectly fine with it not sounding country.

  4. K. Thanks for the clarimfication Leeann. I din’t mean to sound cruel or anything, but I just wanted to understand your view on the songs a little better. I also love traditional stuff and I’m 18 so I do undertsand the respect traditional songs deserve. Now that you mention it it does sound like the lead singer of 3 Doors Down. Again i didn’t mean to sound cruel. i just wanted to understand your commentations a little more rather than jumping the gun and calling you a snotty bitch or something.

  5. Turns out Charles Kelley (the lead singer) had already recorded two pop albums before the formation of this band, so a born-and-bred country singer he clearly is not.

    But I’m really digging his voice anyway. With Travis Tritt out of the mainstream now there’s definitely a place in country music for a more soulful male voice, and those growls sound pretty sweet. In my opinion his performance completely makes this record; the song, as Kevin said, is pretty run-of-the-mill.

  6. For those who don’t know, Charles Kelley is the brother of pop/rock artist Josh Kelley. so it’s only natural that he’d have a more ‘pop’ sounding voice. I don’t really see the Brad Arnold reference (3 Doors Down) but the Third Day reference isn’t off the mark.

  7. Lady Antebellum may just be the next big upcoming country group. This song is a good debut single for them. Hopefully, we’ll be hearing more from them in the near future.

    Grade: B

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