Little Big Town - Pain Killer

[jonathanalan]

Available to stream on iTunes Radio: itunesradio.com/LittleBigTown

Very solid album with a few standout tracks: Tumble & Fall, Save Your Sin, Faster Gun, Turn The Lights On, and the absolutely amazing Live Forever. 

[slowmo]

I've only listened to it once, but my love for them continues to grow. There's some great tracks on here.

[George Strait Junkie]

So far this sounds like a album i wont be buying. I kinda liked their last one but this one is bad. The only tracks so far that i kinda like is "Day Drinkin'" "Pain Killer" "Good People" "Quit Breaking Up With Me" "Silver & Gold"

[dm2081]

"Pain Killer" is awesome, I hope it's the next single. Makes sense to follow up your Day Drinking with a Pain Killer lol

[Deleted]

I'll be picking this album up tonight. Does anyone know if this has a deluxe version?

[countryqueen]

Listened a few times and so far I'm only a fan of a couple songs...I don't know exactly what it is that I don't like, the production maybe? Most of the songs are so noisy/cluttered and I don't like the vocal effects. I liked Day Drinking because it was so different, but it feels like they were trying to recreate that same sound throughout the record.

My favorite song is "Good People", I simply love Kimberly's voice and wish she sang lead more!

[14887fan]

This album is pretty great. I put it behind Tornado. For me, The Reason Why is still their best album to date.

Not huge on "Quit Breaking Up With Me" and "Good People" the way it seems others are, but they're certainly not bad at all.
The harmonies are great, as usual, but they don't shine any brighter than on "Tumble and Fall". Stellar.
Can we just discuss how fantastic "Faster Gun" is? We rarely get to hear the men in the forefront, and this super Clint Eastwood-esque track is so cool. I don't think it could act as a single, but it sure is awesome.
"Save Your Sin" slays. Kimberley is phenomenal.
"Live Forever" may be my new favorite song by them. How hauntingly beautiful. <3
"Things You Don't Think About" is epic. I love how they've evolved without losing their sound.
I think "Turn The Lights On" would be an amazing single release. Trim the instrumental that opens the song and it's a perfect radio length. Also, that'd be a solid show opener at tours.

Potential for singles: "Tumble and Fall", "Quit Breaking Up With Me" or "Good People" (for a summer single), "Save Your Sin", "Things You Don't Think About", "Turn The Lights On"

[.indulgecountry]

I really like this album a lot. I put it about on par with Tornado, which, like this album, has a lot of songs I loved, but the sonic nature of the record as a whole isn't among my favorites from them (I liked their more organic sound when Wayne Kirkpatrick was still at the helm). A Place to Land is still my favorite album of theirs, with The Reason Why a very close second. But I like all of their records thus far, minus their flop debut which I admittedly have still never got around to checking out.

Standouts for me so far are "Quit Breaking Up with Me," "Day Drinking," "Faster Gun," "Good People," and "Live Forever." And, on the flipside, I don't particularly care for "Girl Crush" much. It's pretty boring and I feel like it's a bit of an awkward take on a concept that could've been more interesting with a better hook. And "Turn the Lights On" has a cool instrumental (albeit incredibly long), but the song kind of falls apart for me after the vocals kick in.

Right now "Quit Breaking Up with Me" and "Good People" are the two songs on the album that I really want to see released as singles. "Pain Killer" would be a solid choice as well, and I'm kind of expecting them to go with that next (as they did last era w/ "Tornado" as that album's second single). I'd love if "Faster Gun" could see a release, but I'm not expecting it based on the vocal effects on the song. It would probably prove to be polarizing.

Hopefully this era they can keep their momentum up at radio. I had higher hopes for the Tornado era after the success of the first two singles, but the third and fourth singles definitely put quality before radio accessibility (still super happy both were released though because all my favorite songs from that record were released).

[Dustin J.]

Oct 21, 2014 18:16:09 GMT -5 countryqueen said:

Listened a few times and so far I'm only a fan of a couple songs...I don't know exactly what it is that I don't like, the production maybe? Most of the songs are so noisy/cluttered and I don't like the vocal effects. I liked Day Drinking because it was so different, but it feels like they were trying to recreate that same sound throughout the record.

This is pretty much where I am too.

I guess I'm in the minority in that I feel like LBT's vocal harmonies should be enough to set them apart on country radio. They shouldn't need a bazillion different vocal effects and production tricks to help them succeed. Sadly, as we've seen from a few of the failed LBT singles, radio is more interested in overproduction than they are the actual voices. It's a shame, really.

The top harmonizing bands of the 90's like Restless Heart, BlackHawk, Diamond Rio, and even Little Texas wouldn't stand a chance on today's radio because they relied on their voices...not production.

[dajire4]

Oct 22, 2014 8:35:22 GMT -5 Dustin J. said:

Oct 21, 2014 18:16:09 GMT -5 countryqueen said:

Listened a few times and so far I'm only a fan of a couple songs...I don't know exactly what it is that I don't like, the production maybe? Most of the songs are so noisy/cluttered and I don't like the vocal effects. I liked Day Drinking because it was so different, but it feels like they were trying to recreate that same sound throughout the record.

This is pretty much where I am too.

I guess I'm in the minority in that I feel like LBT's vocal harmonies should be enough to set them apart on country radio. They shouldn't need a bazillion different vocal effects and production tricks to help them succeed. Sadly, as we've seen from a few of the failed LBT singles, radio is more interested in overproduction than they are the actual voices. It's a shame, really.

The top harmonizing bands of the 90's like Restless Heart, BlackHawk, Diamond Rio, and even Little Texas wouldn't stand a chance on today's radio because they relied on their voices...not production.

Exactly. I just expected to enjoy this album way more than I actually did. I would have preferred something more stripped down where their harmonies could shine. Instead it seems they gave more relevance to production and vocal effects, which would be okay for a couple of songs, but not for the whole record. I do like some of the tracks (Day Drinking, Girl Crush, Fast Gun), but nothing really got a hold of me like Your Side Of The Bed or Leavin' In Your Eyes from Tornado. So, all in all, I guess I'm kinda disappointed

[Deleted]

"Tumble and Fall" and "Live Forever" are absolutely amazing, great harmonies on the former and great lyrics/production on the latter

[jlatn5b]

Very early Hits Daily Double prediction has this coming in at 30-35k first week. "Tornado" opened to 113k two years ago. Even the album before that, "The Reason Why" sold over 41k its first week. I know album sales aren't what they used to be, but that's a lot less than I was expecting. I was thinking at least double that... maybe 70-75k. Hopefully it'll end up exceeding that early estimate.

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

This was the album Lori McKenna was pimping on social media a few days ago. I had no idea what #painkiller meant. lol
She co-wrote Tumble and Fall, Girl Crush and Save Your Sin.

[Deleted]

I'm more and more convinced that the endless string of high-profile country albums since mid-August has just doomed almost everyone from here on out. I mean, I know Q4 is when everybody wants to release, but if literally EVERY big album comes out in a 3-month time span, who has the money to shell out $12+ week after week? (and that's only if people buy one album per week...most weeks lately have had multiple big-name albums released) I want to get almost every album that has been released since Brad's came out in August, but I have no money for music (broke college student here). I've resorted to just putting them on my Christmas wish list...

Sales are definitely down, too, but I think there's more to it than that--streaming and the general decline of the album definitely hurts but I really do think that the over-saturation of the country market right now has also played a big role here. There's a reason industry insiders were expecting Jason, FGL, Blake, and Lady A to open way higher than they actually did...and industry folks know how to better predict than any of us here do. I think they really underestimated the over-saturation of the country release schedule this fall.

[musicbuff78]

Just to add something....I think I heard or read somewhere that this year there hasn't been ONE certified platinum album. I knew physical sales were on the downfall as well, but being close to 11 months into the year, I never expected there to not be a platinum certified album!

[Devil Marlena Nylund]

Oct 23, 2014 0:51:14 GMT -5 musicbuff78 said:

Just to add something....I think I heard or read somewhere that this year there hasn't been ONE certified platinum album. I knew physical sales were on the downfall as well, but being close to 11 months into the year, I never expected there to not be a platinum certified album!

They actually mean no albums by an artist have sold over a million copies in 2014. (The Frozen soundtrack has). There have been platinum albums this year - although none released in 2014. The biggest months for sales are upon us now so it's a bit premature for them to have that conclusion.

[jenglisbe]

Wow. "Girl Crush" is stunning. It stood out to me more than any other track, though I think I love "Live Forever" and "Silver and Gold," too. I need to listen to the whole thing a few more times.

[countryfan4life]

Oct 22, 2014 21:49:35 GMT -5 jhomes87 said:

I'm more and more convinced that the endless string of high-profile country albums since mid-August has just doomed almost everyone from here on out. I mean, I know Q4 is when everybody wants to release, but if literally EVERY big album comes out in a 3-month time span, who has the money to shell out $12+ week after week? (and that's only if people buy one album per week...most weeks lately have had multiple big-name albums released) I want to get almost every album that has been released since Brad's came out in August, but I have no money for music (broke college student here). I've resorted to just putting them on my Christmas wish list...

Sales are definitely down, too, but I think there's more to it than that--streaming and the general decline of the album definitely hurts but I really do think that the over-saturation of the country market right now has also played a big role here. There's a reason industry insiders were expecting Jason, FGL, Blake, and Lady A to open way higher than they actually did...and industry folks know how to better predict than any of us here do. I think they really underestimated the over-saturation of the country release schedule this fall.

Oh my gosh I totally agree! I have felt this way for a while now. I think last year was very similar, maybe not as many high profile artists, but still a lot of new music. The other thing that happens to me is that I buy the albums, but then never really listen to them until months and sometimes a year later, because I am still hooked on previous albums.

Haven't bought this album, but did just listen on Spotify (I guess this proves part of you point jhomes87), and I really enjoyed Pain Killer, Good People, Tumble and Fall, and Quit Breaking Up With Me.

Oh and I liked Girl Crush too.

[rsmatto]

I'm surprised anyone could call "Girl Crush" boring. It's a fantastic song with a fantastic story. It's like a slice of retro pop that could ACTUALLY crossover to pop given the whole Retro pop vibe that's sorta there right now.

"Tumble And Fall" is gorgeous and I think "Pain Killer," "Good People," and "Quit Breaking Up With Me" could be potential singles (Though I really hope "Girl Crush" or "Tumble And Fall" would get a shot. Jay Joyce's production is inspired here but I can see where some might find it distracting. There really is nothing else sonically close to this record on country radio (except Eric Church, maybe). This is a career record for LBT and I'm confident it'll end up winning many awards for the group.

[zjames]

Love
1. "Quit Breaking Up With Me"
5. "Girl Crush"
6. "Faster Gun"
9. "Save Your Sin"
10. "Live Forever"
13. "Silver And Gold"

Like
2. "Day Drinking"
3. "Tumble And Fall"
4. "Pain Killer"
7. "Good People"
8. "Stay All Night"
11. "Things You Don't Think About"
12. "Turn The Lights On"

Meh
(None)

Dislike
(None)

Hate
(None)

What a great album! There's not one dud on this album. My favorites are "Quit Breaking Up With Me", "Girl Crush", "Faster Gun", and "Live Forever", but the whole album is great. I don't think there's another possible #1 in addition to"Day Drinking", but I'd love to be proven wrong. 4.5/5

Single Predictions
1. "Day Drinking" 
2. "Pain Killer"
3. "Quit Breaking Up With Me"
If 4. "Good People"

"Girl Crush" and "Tumble And Fall" are the other top contenders.

[jenglisbe]

"Girl Crush" has the next best sales on the album to "Day Drinking," and it isn't all that far behind that one. Interesting.

"Live Forever" is beautiful.

[carriekins]

Oct 29, 2014 13:00:36 GMT -5 jenglisbe said:

"Girl Crush" has the next best sales on the album to "Day Drinking," and it isn't all that far behind that one. Interesting.

"Live Forever" is beautiful.

Bobby Bones has been pimping Girl Crush since the album came out.

[bigfan101]

Pretty sure Quit Breaking Up On Me is going to be the second single. It has its own VEVO audio video and it came up on my Pandora Today's Country feed today.

[sabre14]

Oct 29, 2014 13:12:55 GMT -5 bigfan101 said:

Pretty sure Quit Breaking Up On Me is going to be the second single. It has its own VEVO audio video and it came up on my Pandora Today's Country feed today.

Even though it hasn't been shipped to radio, its also in the top 20 streamed songs on Daily Play MPE. I think it's almost guaranteed to be the follow up to "Day Drinking".

[onebuffalo]

#3 country, #7 top 200 CD with 42,000 sold. Congratulations, Little Big Town!

[.indulgecountry]

Oct 29, 2014 13:58:46 GMT -5 sabre14 said:

Oct 29, 2014 13:12:55 GMT -5 bigfan101 said:

Pretty sure Quit Breaking Up On Me is going to be the second single. It has its own VEVO audio video and it came up on my Pandora Today's Country feed today.

Even though it hasn't been shipped to radio, its also in the top 20 streamed songs on Daily Play MPE. I think it's almost guaranteed to be the follow up to "Day Drinking".

Good choice. Definitely what I would've picked for the follow-up. I think it should do very well at radio.

[tim]

Wow, what a great album overall. Listening to this makes me really hope the CMA's go with them for vocal group again. They are bound to have a good year at radio in 2015, probably even better than their previous release. I think they should easily find four singles that will find success at radio (QBUWM is going to the top and predicting it to be a huge hit for them; the title track should also take them into the top 10; "Good People" also sounds like a smash summer 2015 hit to me). Look for this to be nominated at next year's CMA's for album of the year. I'm really excited for LBT going into 2015.

My favorite song is "Live Forever," but I doubt it'll see the light of radio.

[43dudleyvillas]

I think I physically winced at the numbers for Little Big Town's Pain Killer. While I'm not especially fond of "Day Drinking" and realize that "Pontoon" was a game-changer for them, the degree to which Tornado sales held up after the lead single, even when "Your Side of the Bed" was struggling to crack the top-30, had given me hope that the number of fans buying into Little Big Town was genuinely growing. You can't argue a lack of promotion for them, either. jhomes87 makes a good point about the crowded country release schedule hurting nearly every country release over the past couple of months.

In any event, I think Pain Killer is a really worthy follow-up to Tornado, crafted with the format's rock turn in mind but bending that turn into something that is signature to Little Big Town. Tornado was definitely a countrier album, but I think LBT has done a terrific job of taking inspiration from its success and building something fresh. The quirk and jauntiness of "Pontoon" shows up in "Quit Breaking Up With Me" (thanks in major part, no doubt, to the fact that Natalie Hemby co-wrote both), the edgy rock of "Self Made" and "Tornado" sets the precedent for "Faster Gun," "Save Your Sin," and "Things You Don't Think About," the ethereal beauty of "Can't Go Back" and "Night Owl" is recalled by "Live Forever" and "Silver & Gold," the blue-eyed soul of "On Fire Tonight" reappears in "Stay All Night," and the Fleetwood Mac-gone-country vibe that has always been LBT's signature travels from Tornado's "Leavin' In Your Eyes" to "Tumble & Fall."

I will admit, looking back at that list, that I like everything on Tornado better than what I see as its counterpart on Pain Killer, but the difference is between love and enthusiastic like, for the most part. The only song I'm not connecting very well to on the new album is "Things You Don't Think About," and that is mostly to do with my preference that LBT sing more melodic songs. I'm also indifferent to the lead single and the title track (which I also expect to be a single down the road). The standouts on this album for me are "Girl Crush," "Quit Breaking Up With Me," "Faster Gun," "Save Your Sin," and "Live Forever."

What I'm noticing on Pain Killer more than I have on any previous Little Big Town album is the way that they weave between solos and harmonies, and how just about every vocal part or harmony feels so intelligently and perfectly chosen to suit the lyric and the music. Their transitions seem seamless, natural, and utterly effortless. Karen and Jimi have always been convincing leads -- Karen's star turn here is "Girl Crush" while Jimi really elevates "Stay All Night" to another level, but the album also features breakouts for Phillip and especially Kimberly (Yes, I know "Sober" was a breakout moment for Kimberly and it was a single. I'm still bitter that it didn't fare better at country radio.). Kimberly's spunky harmonies add so much on "Quit Breaking Up With Me," for example, "Good People" brings out her mischievous sense of fun, only for her to conjure up a level of menace she's never shown before on "Save Your Sin." Meanwhile, Phillip's grounding, calming influence is the right anchor for "Live Forever." The call and response moments of "Tumble & Fall" and "Stay All Night" are especially effective -- the female background vocals on "Tumble & Fall" add some tension & desperation, while bringing warmth to "Stay All Night." Vocally, I feel like this is LBT's most fully realized effort yet, and I'm finding it especially listenable and enjoyable for that reason.

For someone like me who was already persuaded by Little Big Town's sound, this album feels like a natural next step for Little Big Town -- more aggressive in response to market trends but with no compromise in their personalities or their interest in standing apart from the crowd, and only occasional compromise in their commitment to thoughtful lyrics. I think it may wind up being my favorite major label country album of 2014 (Lee Ann's The Way I'm Livin' is probably my favorite overall, if not that, then Sturgill Simpson's Metamodern Sounds in Country Music); at the very least, it's running close with Riser and Platinum. In keeping with the day, I'm pretty spooked by its initial sales, but I'm hoping against hope that this album winds up finding its audience over the long term.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Finally got this this weekend and I'm loving it. I've yet to be disappointed by a Little Big Town album and I think I'd rank this as a tie for my favorite with 'Tornado'.

I'd rank the songs on here as follows

01. Girl Crush
02. Tumble And Fall
03. Faster Gun
04. Live Forever
05. Save Your Sin
06. Pain Killer
07. Turn The Lights On
08. Day Drinking
09. Silver And Gold
10. Things You Don't Think About
11. Good People
12. Stay All Night
13. Quit Breaking Up With Me

I'm really happy that "Girl Crush" appears to be the second single but I'm not sure what they should release afterwards?

I'm guessing it'll go

01. Day Drinking
02. Girl Crush
03. Pain Killer
04. Good People
05. Tumble And Fall

[Cody Wants Out...]

I see Pain Killer as a pretty different approach to country music, but they've pulled it off very well. I still find some cluttered production on a good handful of songs here like "Quit Breaking Up with Me", "Faster Gun", and "Stay All Night", but on the title track and "Good People", it kinda works for me and I don't really know why. I'm still happy to be a LBT fan and see them not cave into corrupt industry pressures when it most convenient (*cough* Dustin Lynch *cough* Jason Aldean *cough*).

Starting off this album with "Quit Breaking Up With Me" sounded like a poor decision within the first few seconds, but by the end, it all came together as a fun and clever way at addressing an unstable relationship; some of my favorite lyrics that I found intriguing were in the verses, particularly "I'm the only one who puts up with your (censorship)"...that made me chuckle a bit. To sum it up, QBUWM was a good idea to kick off Pain Killer. Don't really feel like talking about "Day Drinking" so let's say I did and move on, shall we? ;)

"Tumble and Fall" is the main point where the whole group gets to shine from every angle possible. Most definitely one of my favorites on the album and perhaps ever. Definitely how a struggling relationship should be portrayed in musical form. The title track wasn't as reggae-flavored as I thought it would be, but it's still pretty cool and sounds like single material to me; in fact, I think this could've been good lead single material as well, but it still sounds like a hit regardless. Now, "Girl Crush" and "Faster Gun" are where the direction takes an unfortunate turn for me despite how solid the vocals and harmonies are. The context of the lyrics in the former (GC) sound more creepy than guilty coming from another woman; going off of the lyrics alone it sounds more like a jealousy type of situation where the woman that has the "girl crush" simply wants what the other woman has to get the man that she wants. Silly me, I thought it would be about an actual girl crush. Oops. In "Faster Gun", there's something very off-putting that made me partially cringe (just a little bit in the face). I have nothing against a Wild West themed song like this, but I can't really say that I like this one right off the bat. Maybe it'll take a few more listens?

The beats pretty much return for "Good People", "Stay All Night", and "Save Your Sin". I'm pleasantly surprised by GP; Kimberly gave a great and convincing performance of this and it may be another one of my all-time favorites. I hope it becomes a single at some point. Now, "Stay All Night" may end up being my least favorite on the album as I had a similar reaction to SAN as I did to FG...it just seems a little too experimental for me. I know they're branching out and exploring new sounds, but I'm not sure if I think this is one they should stick with. So far, it's been a roller coaster as I apparently enjoy anything that Kimberly Schlapman sings lead on, including SYS. Yeah, the instrumental intro is a little jarring, but it's a pretty short and sweet story here.

The words "Live Forever" by themselves sound very cliche and overdone, but LBT turned it into something worthwhile with those scrumptious harmonies and peaceful instrumentation. And the good thing is, the song itself is pretty much a calm and understated song about a strong and powerful love...that could last forever. I could cry right now... :'( *We need an emoticon like this, but with a smile instead of a frown. I mean, come on, the world ain't all that bad. Am I right?

I think Karen has a tendency to shout in "Things You Don't Think About", or at least it sounds like it in the verses. Even if she did mean to use this shouting technique, it worked out okay in the pre-chorus and chorus, so I'll give it a thumbs-up. More experiments come to fruition in "Turn the Lights On", but with better results. The different tempos and styles between the verses and the chorus makes it stand out from the pack in a pretty good way. I don't think it would work that well as a single, but I do see it being a very solid concert opener for them, which is always a good thing.

The final track, "Silver and Gold", has the same kind of vibe as "Live Forever", but the lyrics are more uplifting and encouraging, which is always a good thing in my book. Funny enough though, with Christmas around the corner, I may end up mistaking LBT's "Silver and Gold" for that song in Rankin/Bass' Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. If I listen to both enough, maybe I'll be able to distinguish between the two by the time I'm home for Christmas (which can't come soon enough).