Pioneer

## ***Pioneer***Album by The Band Perry

* Standard Edition
* Deluxe Edition

## Singles from *Pioneer*

1. Better Dig Two
 Released: October 29th, 2012

2. Done
 Released: March 11th, 2013

3. Don't Let Me Be Lonely
 Released: August 26th, 2013

4. Chainsaw
 Released: March 3rd, 2014

***Pioneer*** is the second studio album by American band The Band Perry. It was released on April 2nd, 2013, through Republic Nashville.

## Critical Reception

*Pioneer* received generally favorable reviews from critics. On the review aggregator site Metacritic, the album currently holds a score of 72, indicating "generally favorable reviews", based on 7 reviews. AllMusic music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine told that the album has "a swagger that underpins" it, which "retains a sense of palpable defiance even in the quietest moments", but in doing so with "her vigor lending passion to music that is deliberately designed to appeal to the widest possible audience as it blurs the line between contemporary country and pop". which causes "some seriously odd juxtapositions". In addition, Erlewine found that "as good as the by-the-books ballads and rocking country are, the moments when the façade slips a bit make this worth hearing as an album and not a collection of singles." At *Entertainment Weekly*, Melissa Maerz evoked how "it's fun to hear her get those linens dirty" on this album. Rob Burkhardt of *Music Is My Oxygen* said the album built "on the foundation laid by the first album and taking things to the next level."

At *Country Weekly*, Jon Freeman called it clearly "time well spent" on making the album, which leads the band in furthering their "stadium-sized ambitions", and they said that the album is just below "outstanding" with an A-. In addition, Freeman said that *Pioneer*'s "overall spirit of adventure is summed up in the gorgeous" track entitled "Pioneer", which that is because it starts off "sweet and delicate," and the song "offers a message of encouragement to be bold in the face of uncertainty and doubt as it builds to a thrilling crescendo." Taste of Country's Billy Dukes evoked how the album "is just as dramatic, yet dramatically more steady than their debut effort" that "holds no shortage of styles and surprises, even a lilting folk song in the title track." Dukes noted that "for some, this will be the highlight of the project — one can be sure very few people will agree on a favorite", and the album has "ambitious" lyrics that "shows a maturity largely unmatched by a group only two albums into a blossoming career." Dukes stated that the band had some sporadically "bold choices", which are "rough around the edges," at the same time "the collection is more than strong enough to justify a headlining tour". David Burger of *The Salt Lake Tribune* said that The Band Perry "show a confidence unusual for a group so young". At *Rolling Stone*, Will Hermes found this album to contain "goth-iness", which is because the siblings "are remarkably death-obsessed", and called this release a "perky, rocked-up country-pop set."

At *The Oakland Press*, Gary Graff exclaimed, "Step aside, Taylor, and put the kerosene down, Miranda — Kimberly Perry is about to become country music’s new man-slaying warrior for women done wrong" on the band's second offering. However, Graff said that this "youthful group is still occasionally wanting in the lyric department, but 'Pioneer' mostly shows that the path the trio blazed with its debut was no mere fluke." Roughstock's Matt Bjorke alluded to how "*Pioneer* doesn't sound like anything else in Country Music and that...should be...enough to help keep the family band around for more than a few more years to come." Furthermore, Bjorke contended that "we might be witnessing the next country/pop crossover to superstardom a la Taylor Swift" because they "could very well be...a Pop band if they didn't love mandolins, banjos, fiddles and steel guitars as much as they do (must be that East Tennessee upbringing)." At the *USA Today*, Jerry Shriver stated this "robust effort from the sibling trio centers on obsessive love, and Kimberly Perry sounds unhinged and revenge-thirsty", yet the album has "moments of vulnerability, then it's back to feeling all apocalyptic. Strong songs, potent production. But dang, girl."

## Singles

Better Dig Two
October 29th, 2012Done
March 11th, 2013Don't Let Me Be Lonely
August 26th, 2013Chainsaw
March 3rd, 2014

## Charts

### Weekly Charts

 Canadian Albums (*Billboard*)
 UK Albums (OCC)
 UK Country Albums (OCC)
 US Top Country Albums (*Billboard*)

## Certifications

 United States (RIAA)

## Credits

### **The Band Perry**

* **Kimberly Perry** – lead vocals
* **Neil Perry** – bouzouki, mandolin, background vocals
* **Reid Perry** – bass guitar, background vocals

### **Additional Musicians**

* **Eric Darken** – percussion
* **Dan Dugmore** – steel guitar, dobro
* **Stuart Duncan** – fiddle
* **Paul Franklin** – steel guitar, sitar
* **Jim Hoke** – penny whistle
* **Dann Huff** – 12-string electric guitar
* **David Huff** – percussion, programming
* **Charlie Judge** – Hammond B-3 organ, keyboards, loop programming, piano, synthesizer
* **Jerry McPherson** – electric guitar
* **Cherie Oakley** – background vocals
* **Aaron Sterling** – drums
* I**lya Toshinsky** – banjo, acoustic guitar, resonator guitar

## References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer\_(The\_Band\_Perry\_album)
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Better\_Dig\_Two
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Done\_(The\_Band\_Perry\_song)
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t\_Let\_Me\_Be\_Lonely
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chainsaw\_(The\_Band\_Perry\_song)