(Nashville) A lot has happened to Old Dominion since they dropped the fan favorite mixtape Odies But Goodies. Beyond a summer headlining major festivals, breaking records at the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music with seven and eight consecutive Vocal Group wins and opening a bar named Odies, both in honor of their fans and the songwriting community that would drift a few blocks off Music Row after – or sometimes during – writing sessions, the band wanted to focus on music.
The result is Barbara, a 13-song exploration of what it means to be positive, to seek the light and own your place in the world without denying reality. Always ear worm farmers, the hooks on Barbara are some of their most unforgettable, but this time they’ve gone a little deeper and considered mortality, humanity and the joy of being alive in a more mature way.
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From the opening “Making Good Time,” with its phased pre-chorus and tumbling drums, that sweeps from youthful ardor to moving through life, recognizing the purity in coming of age and how it shapes who we become, the Shane McAnally/Old Dominion-produced album seeks to understand the way life and love can rise and fall. It’s the euphoria seeing a certain kind of free-spirited woman can induce “Break Your Mama’s Heart,” the rhythmic philosophy of what it all means “Water My Flowers” and the elegy for a good friend “Miss You Man.”
“The thing about this crazy career,” says lead singer Matthew Ramsey, “so many incredible things have happened, but so much life has also happened. We’ve had people pass away, chapters close, people falling in love, obviously health challenges, if you read People. And when we write for others, we just write to write the best song about whatever moment or feeling we’re chasing right then, and yeah that’s fun.
“But when we write for Old Dominion, especially this time, we’re bringing more of ourselves into the room. These are our songs, so they should be pulled from our lives. You don’t realize as you’re writing necessarily, but when we listened to these 13 songs, we all realized: it’s our most personal record ever.”
That reflective tone that informs “Me Most Nights.” “What Doesn’t Kill A Memory” and “Sip in the Right Direction” lead to the feeling better healing of “Crying in the Beach Bar” and “Late Great Heartbreak.” It also paves the way for the self-searching “Man or the Song,” a song for anyone at a crossroads, wondering what their purpose is or just struggling with what matters. That and the closing “Goodnight Music City,” which honors the spirit of a creative community mostly gone, suggests a knowing that inspires even better futures.
“We didn’t want to get all heavy,” Ramsey says. “But I think the feeling good means more when you’re looking life straight in the eye. So much is illusion or what we tell ourselves it is, sometimes if you look in your heart though, reality is even richer. And I think that’s as much the point as anything.”
With their major How Good Is That 2025 – World Tour kicking off this weekend, Ramsey, guitarist/vocalist Brad Tursi, keyboardist/vocalist Trevor Rosen and the hard-hitting rhythm section of bassist/vocalist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers, are thrilled to be in the final stages of putting their sixth album together. Approving mixes and masters, all roads lead to August.
Having written hits for Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Sam Hunt, Dierks Bentley, Blake Shelton and Kelsea Ballerini, Old Dominion’s singular sound is a melodically-driven, harmony-based and fired by multiple guitars. Between country, rock and pop, Old Dominion’s sweet spot offers a sound that lives beyond the labels. With Barbara, they make it shine brighter, but also bring in a little looser, more organic take on what country music can be.
