What a Song Can Do

What a Song Can Do is the ninth studio album by American country music trio Lady A. It was released on October 22, 2021, through Big Machine Records. The album includes the single "Like a Lady" and thirteen other tracks. It is also the first new album released under the name Lady A and second after the deluxe edition of Ocean in 2020.

Prior to the album's release, the band issued the extended play What a Song Can Do (Chapter One), containing tracks from the album. This extended play contains seven songs, and the album contains seven more. Thirteen of the project's fourteen songs were co-written by at least one member of the band; Dave Haywood wrote "Workin' on This Love" by himself and even sings lead vocals on it, making this the first and so far only album to feature a solo from him.^[4] The track "Friends Don't Let Friends" features guest vocals from Carly Pearce, Thomas Rhett, and Darius Rucker. Dann Huff is the album's producer.^[5]

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic wrote that "The 14 songs never deviate from the middle of the road, a path they follow with the urgency of a Sunday afternoon drive[...] they give the arrangements enough room to be breezy and help keep the melody in the forefront -- tricks that make for a very pleasant listen, even if it is quite a familiar one."^[2]

Track listing

*What a Song Can Do* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Lead vocals	Length
1.	"Talk of This Town"	Hillary Scott Charles Kelley Dave Haywood Nicolle Galyon Jordan Reynolds	Kelley Scott	3:45
2.	"What a Song Can Do"	Kelley Sam Ellis Ryan Hurd Laura Veltz	Kelley Scott	3:41
3.	"Like a Lady"	Scott Dave Barnes Michelle Buzz Martin Johnson Brandon Paddock	Scott	3:01
4.	"Things He Handed Down"	Kelley Julian Bunetta Jesse Frasure Thomas Rhett	Kelley	3:18
5.	"Fire"	Scott Kelley Haywood Justin Ebach	Scott	3:14
6.	"Chance of Rain"	Kelley Haywood Tofer Brown Ebach	Kelley	3:31
7.	"Worship What I Hate"	Scott Haywood Natalie Hemby Amy Wadge	Scott	4:20
8.	"Where Would I Be"	Hemby David Garcia Jordan Minton	Scott Kelley	3:43
9.	"Friends Don't Let Friends" (featuring Thomas Rhett, Darius Rucker, and Carly Pearce)	Kelley Rhett Bunetta Ashley Gorley	Kelley Scott Rhett Rucker Pearce	3:32
10.	"In Waves"	Kelley Joey Hendricks Alysa Vanderheym Michael Whitworth	Kelley	3:22
11.	"You Keep Thinking That"	Kelley Dave Cohen Chris Gelbuda Steven Lee Olsen	Scott	3:01
12.	"Be That for You"	Haywood Kelley Corey Crowder	Kelley Scott	4:43
13.	"Workin’ on This Love"	Haywood	Haywood	3:49
14.	"Swore I Was Leaving"	Haywood Kelley Scott Reynolds Parker Welling	Scott Kelley	4:24
Total length:				51:24

Personnel

Adapted from liner notes.^[1]

Lady A

Dave Haywood – vocals (all tracks), acoustic guitar (all tracks), bouzouki (track 8), mandolin (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 10–13), percussion (track 8), resonator guitar (track 8), strings (tracks 1, 8), synthesizer (track 1), tambourine (track 10), bar noise (track 1)
Charles Kelley – vocals (all tracks)
Hillary Scott – vocals (all tracks)

Additional musicians

Roy Agee – trombone (track 11), bass trombone (track 11)
David Angell – violin (track 7)
Monisa Angell – viola (track 7)
Kevin Bate – cello (track 7)
Jenny Bifano – violin (track 7)
Tom Bukovac – electric guitar (all tracks except 11 & 13)
Julian Bunetta – programming (track 9)
Vinnie Ciesielski – flugelhorn (track 11), trumpet (track 11), horn arrangements (track 11)
Dave Cohen – B-3 organ (tracks 1, 2, 6, 14), keyboards (track 3), piano (tracks 2, 4–7), programming (track 11), synthesizer (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11, 12), synth bass (track 11)
David Davidson – violin (track 3)
Stuart Duncan – fiddle (track 3)
Justin Ebach – electric guitar (track 5), programming (track 5), synthesizer (track 5), synth bass (track 5)
Sam Ellis – programming (track 2)
Alicia Engstrom – violin (track 7)
Shannon Forrest – drums (tracks 10, 11, 13), percussion (track 13)
Paul Franklin – steel guitar (tracks 2, 4, 5, 10, 13, 14)
Jesse Frasure – programming (track 4)
Chris Gelbuda – electric guitar (track 11)
Austin Hoke – cello (track 7)
Dann Huff – bouzouki (track 5), Dobro (tracks 3, 5), Dobro solo (track 5), electric guitar (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9–12, 14), electric guitar solo (tracks 1–3, 6, 9, 12, 14), high-string acoustic guitar (track 5), programming (tracks 2–4, 9–13), synthesizer (tracks 10, 13), synth bass (track 3)
David Huff – programming (all tracks), synth bass (track 10)
Jun Iwasaki – violin (track 7)
Martin Johnson – electric guitar (track 3)
Charlie Judge – B-3 organ (tracks 9, 11), piano (tracks 2, 11), synthesizer (tracks 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13), synth bass (track 12)
Betsy Lamb – viola (track 7)
Tony Lucido – bass guitar (tracks 10, 11, 13)
Justin Niebank – programming (all tracks except 3)
Brandon Paddock – Dobro (track 3), programming (track 3)
Carly Pearce – featured vocals (track 9)
Jordan Reynolds – programming (track 1)
Thomas Rhett – featured vocals (track 9)
Jerry Roe – drums (tracks 8, 9), percussion (track 8)
Darius Rucker – featured vocals (track 9)
Jimmie Lee Sloas – bass guitar (tracks 1–9, 12, 14)
Aaron Sterling – drums (tracks 1–7, 12, 14), percussion (tracks 3, 6, 7, 14)
Ilya Toshinsky – acoustic guitar (all tracks except 3 & 7), banjo (tracks 3, 5, 9), Dobro (track 7), mandolin (track 3)
Alysa Vanderheym – synthesizer (track 10), background vocals (track 10)
Derek Wells – electric guitar (tracks 10, 11, 13), electric guitar solo (track 11)
Kris Wilkinson – string arrangements (track 7)
Karen Winkelmann – violin (track 7)

Technical and visuals

Sean Badum – recording assistance (tracks 1–7, 12, 14)
Drew Bollman – recording, additional mix engineering
Sandi Spika Borchetta – art direction
Jesse Brock – mixing assistance (track 3)
Callie Cunningham – art direction
Nicole Flammia – art direction
Parker Foote – graphic design
Justin Ford – art direction
Mike "Frog" Griffith – production coordination
Dann Huff – production
David Huff – digital editing
Martin Johnson – additional production
Joe LaPorta – mastering
Steve Marcantonio – strings recording
Joel McKinney – recording assistance (tracks 8–11, 13)
Buckley Miller – recording
Sean Moffitt – mixing
Joshua Sage Newman – graphic design
Justin Niebank – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4–14)
Ryan Nishimori – graphic design
Brandon Paddock – additional production (track 3)
Chris Small – digital editing
Hodges Usry – photography
Kolby Vetter – art direction
Michael Walter – recording assistance (track 7)

Chart (2021)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[6]	48
Australian Country Albums (ARIA)^[7]	5
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[8]	31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[9]	52
UK Country Albums (OCC)^[10]	1
UK Album Downloads (OCC)^[11]	18
US Billboard 200^[12]	135
US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[13]	12

v t e Lady A
Hillary Scott Charles Kelley Dave Haywood
Studio albums	Lady Antebellum Need You Now Own the Night On This Winter's Night Golden 747 Heart Break Ocean What a Song Can Do
EPs	iTunes Session A Merry Little Christmas What a Song Can Do (Chapter One)
Singles	"Love Don't Live Here" "Lookin' for a Good Time" "I Run to You" "Need You Now" "American Honey" "Our Kind of Love" "Hello World" "Just a Kiss" "We Owned the Night" "Dancin' Away with My Heart" "Wanted You More" "Downtown" "Goodbye Town" "Compass" "Bartender" "Freestyle" "Long Stretch of Love" "You Look Good" "Heart Break" "What If I Never Get Over You" "Champagne Night" "Like a Lady"
Featured singles	"Never Alone" "Something Better" "Who You Are to Me" "Forever Country"
Other songs	"Baby, It's Cold Outside" "Friday Night" "Golden" "A Holly Jolly Christmas" "Slow Rollin'"
Concert tours & residencies	Need You Now Tour (2010) Own the Night Tour (2011–12) Take Me Downtown Tour (2014) Wheels Up Tour (2015) You Look Good World Tour (2017) Summer Plays On Tour (2018) Our Kind of Vegas (2019)
Solo releases	Love Remains The Driver Thy Will "Be a Light"
Related articles	Discography Awards and nominations

What a Song Can Do

Critical reception

Track listing

Personnel

Lady A

Additional musicians

Technical and visuals

Chart performance

References

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