Gloriana, ‘A Thousand Miles Left Behind’ – Album Review

On their sophomore album, Gloriana lay down 11 tight, polished and harmonious country songs that collectively fall short of providing an identity for a group working through year four together. The trio feels like the shy kid in class who knows all the answers, but doesn’t want to raise his or her hand. 

While each lead vocalist is featured often throughout the album, the band’s powerful harmonies are usually the highlight of each song. The Gossin brothers and Rachel Reinert are a flawless wall of sound from the very first cut (18 seconds into ‘Gold Rush’ they sing “Old” together) to the last. Early on, one looks for more of this to bring some color to seven straight love songs. Unique melodies and syncopated rhythms work to carve lines between each track, but it’s easy to get halfway through without stopping to hear any one again before moving forward.

No. 6 on ‘A Thousand Miles Left Behind, dubbed ‘Go On … Miss Me,’ is actually an anti-love song that finds a feisty Reinart scorning a man as lead vocalist. She emerges as the most comfortable choice for the role, especially late on the album with songs like ‘Where My Heart Belongs’ and the stand-out cut ‘Turn My World Around.’ The ballad is the most sincere of the bunch, with an open-ended message that could relate to one finding true love, or even religion. The Mike Gossin co-written lyric is the strongest on the album. Many others are good efforts that get cloudy with excessive imagery.

It’s a shame ‘Wanna Take You Home’ was already released as a single, as it would make a good follow-up to ‘(Kissed You) Good Night,’ Gloriana’s first Top 5 hit. There are plenty of radio-friendly options, but none that present themselves as sure hits. It’s a difficult environment for male/female groups right now, as Nashville is flooded with talented duos and trios, including Gloriana. More risk taking might have helped this group separate themselves from the others.

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