Sugarland Defend Their Musical ‘Breakdown’

Their new album, 'Incredible Machine,' is more than two months away from its release date, and already Sugarland have people talking -- and criticizing -- the upcoming CD. And the duo, comprised of Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush, admit their marketing strategy up to this point may have been a little off.

The pair have often said, in interviews both together and separate, that 'Incredible Machine' was "steampunk" -- creating the belief among fans and critics alike that the CD would be filled with steam engine sounds, and would also be a sharp deviation from the uptempo country for which they're known. In fact, both Jennifer and Kristian insist that the word they used was an unfair representation of the music they're about to release, and say they regret the confusion they created.

"That's really our fault for the way that we explained it, to be honest," Jennifer tells Entertainment Weekly. "It has everything to do with the visual. We wanted another world on stage. We wanted something fun, a visual aesthetic to be inspired by. We chose that one. It has nothing to do with the music. I definitely put the brunt of that on our shoulders for anyone who didn't understand that."

'Stuck Like Glue,' the first single from 'Incredible Machine,' is steadily climbing the charts, but not without some dissension among radio programmers. The song, which includes random auto-tuned snippets and an interesting reggae-meets-rap section, has caused at least one station to eliminate part of the song, and several more to question the validity of the track at country radio. Yet, for that, Jennifer couldn't be less concerned.

"[The auto-tune section] is almost like a comic piece for us," she explains, "because everybody is doing it, and we thought, 'Oh god, yes. If we're gonna be able to put it anywhere, please, let's put it right here.' It was really just a moment of fun for us in the studio. It wasn't like, 'Oh yeah, this is cool.' It was like, 'This is hysterical.' I mean, we've already put in a reggae breakdown. Which by the way, it's not reggae country. It's a breakdown. I think you're allowed anything in a musical breakdown. Maybe I do have an inner Sean Kingston, or an inner Bob Marley. Something is going on here, I'm sure of it."

Interestingly, the song that has created the buzz almost didn't make it onto the album, Kristian says, adding that they wrote the song at the tail-end of penning songs for the CD. "Whenever you are making an album -- and I don't know really what the percentages are -- the last two or three songs that you write for the record, many times, end up being the singles," Kristian tells the Huffington Post. "It's fascinating to me that that happens. I think [Def Leppard's] 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' was that way, and was the last one that they put on the record. It's strange but it feels like you get the sense of the whole piece of art that you are making. Then the last two or three songs are so well-focused because you kind of know where and what part of your talent and your heart you're digging at."

The Grammy-winning duo broke tradition with this album by touring ahead of the release date, giving fans a sneak-peek at what they were about to embrace. It's a throwback idea from decades ago, that Kristian admits was a gamble. "I have to say it does feel a little like it's anyone's game to figure out how to sell records," he acknowledges. "I have to applaud our manager and record company for embracing this idea. It was our manager's idea. We were talking about the days when we used to go into the music store and look at the dry erase board with the upcoming record release dates in anticipation. There were even days I would stay up until midnight just to get the album. I still remember those days and there was a certain amount of excitement about that ... Our manager was saying, 'You know, the record business is not broken. It's actually alive. The thing that is different is that it doesn't feel like there is that excitement anymore before an album comes out.'"

'Incredible Machine,' which will hit shelves October 19, might be Sugarland's finest work yet, as far as Kristian is concerned. "We are excited because we've heard the music and can't wait for it to be released," he says. "I can't wait for fans who have been listening to 'Incredible Machine' for four months, hear the recording of it. It's one of the most beautiful recordings that I have ever done. I am so proud as a producer and a musician, and as an artist and writer."

Sugarland's tour, which includes opening acts Little Big Town and Danny Gokey, runs through the weekend before their album is released. Check out their tour schedule here.