“Trailer Hitch”
Kristian Bush
Written by Brandon Bush, Kristian Bush, and Tim Owen
It’s not entirely without precedent. When Diana Ross left the Supremes, their first single without her did better than her first solo release. Ringo Starr managed to score two #1 pop hits before John Lennon reached the top as a solo act. Peter Gabriel was supposed to be the indispensable talent of Genesis, but they did better when they gave Phil Collins the mic. Even country acts like Highway 101 and Restless Heart have seen the same phenomenon occur.
We won’t know for a while if Sugarland’s solo projects will repeat such unexpected history, but for now, try to get your head around this: Kristian Bush’s first solo single has more personality, more substance, and is more thoroughly entertaining in the way we expect Sugarland to be than what we’ve heard so far from Jennifer Nettles.
I repeat: Kristian Bush > Jennifer Nettles.
“Trailer Hitch” is built around the concept that you can’t take material possessions with you when you go. As in, hearses don’t have a trailer hitch in the back of them. It’s a light, breezy song with great charm, and he sings it with the appropriate combination of conviction and good spirit.
I still like Bush and Nettles better together, but his solo single is the one that I’ll still be listening to for a long time to come.
Grade: B+
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHyDvh10CFA