Sugarland: Jennifer Nettles (vocals, acoustic guitar); Kristian Bush (various instruments, background vocals).

Recording information: OceanWay, Nashville, Tennessee.

With the departure of founding member Kristen Hall, Sugarland slimmed down to a duo. Losing one-third of the formula that made their debut a country/pop crossover smash might seem a daunting proposition, but ENJOY THE RIDE finds remaining members Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush not only surviving but thriving. Nettles's brassy belting has more sass and sex appeal than ever, and the in-your-face attitude on many of the pair's songs is even more brash and boundary-pushing than the most full-throttle moments on 2004's TWICE THE SPEED OF LIFE. While the uptempo tracks indicate that Sugarland has been paying attention to the Gretchen Wilson/Big & Rich camp, they're handily offset by more reflective balladic moments, making this a well-balanced RIDE.

Rolling Stone (p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]hese Georgians do bright pop country with a big hook quotient..."