America�s in the throes of a massive sugar rush.
Sugarland - the Atlanta-based duo of vocalist Jennifer Nettles and multi-instrumentalist Kristian Bush - gave Cohasset a confectionery blast Thursday at the first point of a sold-out two-night-stand at the South Shore Music Circus.
Those who lost out ontickets, which apparently sold out in April, might try to catch the pair�s gig at Foxwoods� new MGM Ballroom on Sept. 19. Now is the time to see this act as it invades small venues with its big maulers. The closeness of the Music Circus stage allowed a stage of familiar passion to the carrying out that didn�t come crossways two summers ago when Sugarland played at Kenny Chesney�s annual Gillette Stadium blowout.
Nettles and Bush were at the tippy-top of their game throughout their 90-minute set, exuding the kind of blessed, dizzy confidence that only people in their position can: Barely out of the can, their new CD, �Love on the Inside,� has already topped Billboard�s pop chart.
With a sturdy five-piece circle serving delicious country-pop licks, Sugarland cranked out anthems galore, from the opening �Love� to �Settlin� � to �Everyday America.� Newer songs like �We Run� and the sassy current single �All I Want to Do� sounded every bit as good. And amid several likable story-songs in the country custom, the Kristen Hall-penned missive home �Baby Girl� seemed unusually poignant given its rags-to-riches narrative.
Nettles� brassy voice rang clear as a country church building bell with near-unbelievable pitch and preciseness, occasionally buoyed by harmonies from bassist Annie Clements. Wearing an embroidered gray tank acme, jeans and boots, her hair in a ponytail, she projected an unassuming sexuality that was at the same time innocent and devilishly captivating.
The smoldering chemistry between her and Bush, who acted like an animated mandolin and guitar dervish during the intact show, only heightened herappeal. Her performance of the empowering dismissal �Stay� quite nearly brought down the house.
One could argue that Sugarland�s music suffers from a monotony made even moreapparent in concert. But given the duo�s unstoppable personality - also observable in encore covers as disparate as Matt Nathanson�s �Come on Get Higher� and Def Leppard�s �Pour Some Sugar on Me� - Nettles and Bush rise higher up such assessment. Yep, it was that sweet.
SUGARLAND, with LES SAMPOU
Thursday night at South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset.
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