The Band Perry shared a first listen to their highly-anticipated sophomore album, Pioneer, with an invited group of VIPs, including friends, the media and undoubtedly the most VIP in attendance, their mom, at the Nashville offices of performing-rights organization BMI Monday night (March 25).

Although the album won't be in the hands of the fans for another week, the sibling trio played the disc and took turns explaining the origins of the songs, their inspiration for writing or recording them and how they planned to combat the dreaded "sophomore jinx" that often threatens an artist's second project. Introduced by Big Machine Label Group head Scott Borchetta, the threesome sat quietly on stools while the songs were played in sequence, starting with their No. 1 smash, "Better Dig Two" and followed by the latest single, "DONE," the title of which, Kimberly explained, is intentionally capitalized to get the point across, although the guttural hoots and grunts in the song do the job pretty well, too.

As a group that spent more than 600 days on the road over the past two years, the trio sees themselves as having "perpetual Peter Pan syndrome." That aspect of their lives, (not to mention their compulsion to offer each other unsolicited advice) often makes dealing with the reality of broken relationships even more difficult. That was part of the inspiration for the tender "Don't Let Me Be Lonely." The album's title track, another of the standouts on the collection, has a title that refers, not to folks in covered wagons making their way west, but instead pays tribute to those who set foot "into the unknown." It's a universal message that applied to the threesome as they approached the making of the album, starting at one spot but ultimately ending up in another, completely unexpected place.

In terms of the unexpected, that could easily apply to "Forever Mine, Nevermind," which the trio penned with Brad Paisley. Punctuated by their shimmering sibling harmony and featuring Brad at his guitar shredding best, the tune is a brash homage to Queen, a group the Band Perry cites as one of their inspirations. Another of the album's standouts, "Chainsaw," ratchets up the volume and serves as "the love child of Judds and Led Zeppelin." While it may sound implausible, it works beautifully -- and the tune contains some of the album's most memorable lyrics.

In terms of songs that will prove memorable from the collection, however, the one that comes before "Chainsaw" in the lineup is the beautiful "Mother Like Mine." Standing in the middle of the room, Kimberly, Neil and Reid's mom listened along to the tune that served as not only a tribute to her but to all moms. Coming just as it does only weeks before Mother's Day, expect this emotional highpoint on Pioneer, an album that has its fair share of high points, to be shared by grateful children everywhere.

Pioneer will be released Tuesday, April 2. Also next week, be sure to come back for The Boot's exclusive interview with the Band Perry!

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