I admit I knew very little about Lady Antebellum until I heard “Need You Now” on the radio a couple of weeks ago (long before their well-received appearance on this past Sunday’s Grammy Awards). Thanks to a passing mention in a magazine article here or there, I knew vaguely of the group’s existence, but not being a big fan of country music and because they carried a name so steeped in Deep South connotations, I had no reason to dig further.

But that was until I heard “Need You Now,” the first single and title track from Lady Antebellum’s second album. While I don’t care much for country music, I can’t resist the occasional crossover hit (Taylor Swift, I’m looking at you, though after your shaky Grammy performance, perhaps we’re done). But Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” is a country mile from the sort of hokey, boot-stompin’ songs I’ve got such a strong aversion to. The Nashville trio of Charles Kelley, Dave Haywood, and Hillary Scott have created an aching, middle-of-the-night lament that follows in the SoCal tradition of Fleetwood Mac and The Eagles. Hear here:

Mainstream momentum for Lady Antebellum is only growing. “Need You Now,” which dominated the Country chart for five weeks in November and peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 then, is currently sitting at #1 on iTunes (surely a result of the group’s strong Grammy performance), has climbed from #37 to #30 on Billboard’s Pop Songs chart this week; it’s even back up to #8 on the Hot 100. And their album, Need You Now, just debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 481,000 copies in its first week of release. That haul, the best debut since Susan Boyle’s AARP-approved I Dreamed A Dream in November, could have only been helped by Amazon MP3, which offered the set for just $3.99; bait I took, based solely on one track, a track you need now.

Purchase Lady Antebellum – “Need You Now” via iTunes, Amazon MP3.