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The first time Jennifer Nettles stepped away from Sugarland she teamed with producer Rick Rubin for That Girl, a 2014 album that leaned hard on her earthy rock underpinnings. Playing with Fire, the sophomore set delivered two years later, is the flip side of the coin. Produced by Dann Huff -- a Nashville veteran with a back-story in AOR rock -- Playing with Fire is snappy, shiny country-pop with such a strong R&B undercurrent that it comes as no surprise when Jennifer Lopez stops by to duet on the album-closing "My House." Its lithe drum loops accentuate how well the rest of Playing with Fire incorporates modern soul. Much of the record plays with these bright rhythms -- "Hey Heartbreak" pushes it into the realm of crossover AAA pop, "Chaser" simmers with these nimble cadences, while "Sugar" swaggers like vintage Shania Twain -- and this playfulness winds up as an attractive accent to the album's professional sturdiness. Nettles and Huff have a keen ear for material, providing a showcase for Brandy Clark (the slyly funny "Drunk in Heels"), choosing songs that highlight her knack for understated balladry ("Three Days in Bed," "Salvation Works") or skill as a belter ("Playing with Fire"), yet nothing here feels like showboating. There's a subtlety to how all these moods fit together and that's what makes Playing with Fire a success: each song plays upon a distinctive mood but, added together, it provides a portrait of a sharp, savvy country diva.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
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Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Brandy Clark, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Brandy Clark, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2015 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Shane McAnally, ComposerLyricist - Sara Haze, ComposerLyricist - Jimmy Robbins, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Brandy Clark, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Bill Sherman, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Holly Williams, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - Paul Bushnell, AssociatedPerformer, Bass (Vocal) - DANN HUFF, Producer - Paul Franklin, Steel Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - JUstin Niebank, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Drew Bollman, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Charlie Judge, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Seth Morton, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Brandy Clark, ComposerLyricist - Jessie Jo Dillon, ComposerLyricist - Scott Patton, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - J. Bonilla, Asst. Recording Engineer, Programming, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - Derek Wells, Electric Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - IIya Toshinskiy, Acoustic Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Travis McNabb, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Lance Van Dyke, Asst. Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel
℗ 2015 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Shane McAnally, ComposerLyricist - Brandy Clark, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Shane McAnally, ComposerLyricist - Brandy Clark, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Lori McKenna, ComposerLyricist - Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Brandy Clark, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Jennifer Nettles, MainArtist, ComposerLyricist - DANN HUFF, Producer - Jennifer Lopez, FeaturedArtist, ComposerLyricist - Julio Reyes, ComposerLyricist - Josh Osborne, ComposerLyricist - Shane McAnally, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
Album review
The first time Jennifer Nettles stepped away from Sugarland she teamed with producer Rick Rubin for That Girl, a 2014 album that leaned hard on her earthy rock underpinnings. Playing with Fire, the sophomore set delivered two years later, is the flip side of the coin. Produced by Dann Huff -- a Nashville veteran with a back-story in AOR rock -- Playing with Fire is snappy, shiny country-pop with such a strong R&B undercurrent that it comes as no surprise when Jennifer Lopez stops by to duet on the album-closing "My House." Its lithe drum loops accentuate how well the rest of Playing with Fire incorporates modern soul. Much of the record plays with these bright rhythms -- "Hey Heartbreak" pushes it into the realm of crossover AAA pop, "Chaser" simmers with these nimble cadences, while "Sugar" swaggers like vintage Shania Twain -- and this playfulness winds up as an attractive accent to the album's professional sturdiness. Nettles and Huff have a keen ear for material, providing a showcase for Brandy Clark (the slyly funny "Drunk in Heels"), choosing songs that highlight her knack for understated balladry ("Three Days in Bed," "Salvation Works") or skill as a belter ("Playing with Fire"), yet nothing here feels like showboating. There's a subtlety to how all these moods fit together and that's what makes Playing with Fire a success: each song plays upon a distinctive mood but, added together, it provides a portrait of a sharp, savvy country diva.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 12 track(s)
- Total length: 00:42:29
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Jennifer Nettles
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Big Machine Records, LLC
- Genre: Country
© 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC ℗ 2016 Big Machine Label Group, LLC
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