The Band Perry - The Band Perry (2012)

The Band Perry already feel like an inarguable force. Their mawkish single If I Die Young has sold 4m copies; they were nominated for the best new artist award at this year's Grammys. Their debut album, first released in the US in 2010, suggests the key to their popularity lies not so much in what the three Perry siblings are doing, but in the ruthless polishing of the act by their record company. Their country-rock sound has been lacquered to a high gloss, burying Neil Perry's mandolin and Stuart Duncan's fiddle beneath slick guitar, domineering pop rhythms and sickly strings. Frontwoman Kimberley Perry has a belter of a voice, but it's too clean to communicate real emotion. Just one song, Double Heart, suggests what this band could be: one part sleazy rock'n'roll, two parts country sass and snarl, it has more personality than the rest of the album put together.