Little Big Town - The Breaker

[.indulgecountry]

New Little Big Town album, The Breaker, is out now!

[LBTrocks]

This is going to be such a long post lol, letting y'all know in advance. 

I was fully expecting to hate this album. Every song that was being released after “Better Man” was really disappointing to me. It sounded nothing like the LBT I knew and loved. “Happy People” and “We Went To The Beach” were weird for a while honestly, I didn’t like their performance of “Beat Up Bible” on the Opry, and while the harmonies on “When Someone Stops Loving You” sucked me in, the song wasn’t cutting it for me. After all that, I honestly thought this album was going to be almost as fucked up as Wanderlust was. Almost.

Luckily, after hearing the album in full, that’s not the case. It’s a very different album, especially for them, but overall it’s actually pretty good. I am pleasantly surprised. All that said, it is still easily my least favorite album of theirs to date (minus Wanderlust which I don’t count lol) and I’m honestly not sure how much I’ll be listening to it, especially in relation to their other records. I don’t mind artists branching out and recording different styles of music, but stylistically this feels so different than the LBT I adore. It’s like they’ve strayed from their roots and their true sound. In reality, I know they’re probably still being true to themselves musically, but selfishly this is not the style I want to see them going. It’s a lot… lighter and almost more experimental. Their past music was 100% my cup of tea. This music isn’t. Vocals are still amazing as are the harmonies, but if this was my introduction to LBT, it wouldn’t have made me the huge fan I am like The Road To Here did.

All of THAT said, there aren’t really any flat out, all-around bad songs on this. All have at least some good points and redeemable qualities. Might as well do a song-by-song analysis

“Happy People” - The verse is ATROCIOUS, but great chorus and instrumental. But the verse is a huge turn-off and literally makes me want to turn off the song.
“Night On Our Side” - Love the harmonies and catchy vocal arrangement. Nice instrumental and production as well. The verse again is a little corny sounding, but I enjoy this.
“Lost In California” Fantastic production and instrumental, love the harmonizing at the end. Karen sounds great but the vocal arrangement in the chorus doesn’t really match the music to me and it kinda bothers me. But I do love this. First listen I wasn’t digging it, second listen it got infinitely better. This song has a great vibe. I’ve been reading that it’s the standout on the album (“Better Man” not withstanding) and I tend to agree.
“Free” - … interesting production, but it works I guess. Again, wonderful vocals from Karen and this has a very nice melody. The harmonies are especially nice on this one.
“Drivin’ Around” - Something about this is off-putting and I’m not sure why. It should be one of the best cuts on the album, honestly. But it’s a little…weird? It sounds like one of those songs you need to be high to fully enjoy lol. I'm not sure if I like it or not. We'll see what happens with this one.
“We Went To the Beach” - I mean this is okay. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing mind-blowing either. Nice listen but definitely not one of my go-to songs from them. I don’t think any of the songs on this album are to be honest. I wouldn't necessarily change this when playing the album though.
“Better Man” - Flawless and easily the best thing on this album. Nothing else can even hold a candle to it. As much as I love this I’m actually quite disappointed that I find this the best the album has to offer.
“Rollin’” - This one is kind of a jam. I love Jimi’s voice so much and he sounds really good on this. I love the harmonizing and arrangement of this one. I can get behind this one.
“Don’t Die Young, Get Old” - This one sounds really great. I LOVE the vocals/harmonies and the arrangement. Again, very experimental sounding and pretty light for them, but this the production, instrumentation, vocals, and melody work perfectly together on this one. Definitely a standout on the album.
“Beat Up Bible” - Like I said, wasn’t impressed with the Opry performance but melodically and vocally this is pretty nice. Doesn’t have the edge that I like my LBT music to have but this is a great country song, I can’t even deny it. Love the chorus.
“When Someone Stops Loving You” - Exquisite harmonies on this one. However, the first two lines of the chorus bother me. I don’t like the arrangement and the line “When someone stops loving you, it don’t make the evening news” sounds contrived and written for the sake of rhyming. Getting past that, I like the arrangement in the rest of the chorus. Again, this is pretty laid back for them, but the harmonies are what keeps me interested in this song.
“The Breaker” - I kind of feel the same way about this as I do the other two. The last 3 songs are pretty similar and they kind of just blend in together for me. All have good melodies, nice vocals, and are pleasant listens… but none truly standout to me and really get under my skin. They are all songs I’d listen to and enjoy when listening to the album, but I doubt they’d ever be go-to songs for me.

I’m not sure if there are any go-to songs on this album for me. “Better Man”, “Don’t Die Young, Get Old”, “Rollin’”, “Night On Our Side”, and “Lost In California” are the closest. We’ll see how I feel about this album going forward. I feel it could be a grower, or I feel it could not be.

Anyway, to sum it all up, this isn’t the bad album I was expecting, but it’s not the great album that I wanted. I like most all of the songs fine, some more than others, but I’m already kind of looking forward to the next album lol. This will have to do for now though and I’ll definitely be purchasing it and listening to it. I adore LBT so much and this album doesn’t turn me off of them in the slightest and I'll probably get more and more into the songs that I like the more I hear them.

[Dustin J.]

This album is pretty darned good...much better than their last release, IMHO...as the focus (for the most part) has shifted away from production a little and shifted back towards their harmonies. Just a few comments...

-- "Night On Our Side" is the standout for me on this album...it has that old-school, uptempo LBT feel...the harmonies (and acapella intro) are flawless. I've had this one on repeat since the album was digitally released.

-- "Beat Up Bible" is absolutely a future single...and probably my second favorite song on the album. Would do well at country radio...possibly as a follow-up to Better Man (although I suspect something more uptempo would be a better pick).

-- I like "Drivin' Around", if nothing else, as a fun roll-the-windows-down album track...but can't see it being released as a single (nor would I want it as a radio single). I can't pinpoint exactly what I like about it...it has maybe a Journey-type feel to it.

-- "Free" is likely a single candidate (just a guess) as is "The Breaker"...both are solid songs in their own right...and both are songs with more focus on LBT and less focus on production.

In all, this is a MUCH better album than their last effort. Still a tad overproduced here & there, but not anywhere near the production disaster of Pain Killer. Again...LBT is a much, MUCH better listen when the focus in on their harmonies...and this album is a nice step back in the right direction.

SINGLE PICKS
1. Better Man
2. Night On Our Side
3. Beat Up Bible
4. Free

[George Strait Junkie]

i have only listened to a few of songs on here so far i'll play the whole thing today have my ranking of the tracks later tonight

i'm happy for Hailey Whitters for getting a cut on the album's opener "Happy People" which i love. hope to hell she has a follow up to Bad Sheep soon

and "night on our side" i remember not liking i think i skipped it half way thu. i'll have to give it a full listen to tho

[14887fan]

Might be the only one who's relatively disappointed by this album. Will post more thoughts later, but after an initial couple of start-to-finish listens, I'm feeling really underwhelmed.

Highlights include "Better Man," "Rollin'," "When Someone Stops Loving You" (although I absolutely detest the 'When someone stops loving you, it don't make the evening news' line so much), and the title track. Beyond that, so much of this record really washes itself away in lost opportunity. I appreciate its organic sound, but some of the lyrics really left me unimpressed, some of the songs felt like they were lacking strong hooks and/or strong melodies, and the track listing feels a little off to me. The album's highlights definitely shine, but for me, this is their weakest efforts to date. I've found that their other albums' high points are simply just bolder and better than this one's.

Luckily, "Better Man" has yet to burn on me. Seriously one of the finest things they've ever put on record.

[LBTrocks]

Feb 24, 2017 15:25:33 GMT -5 14887fan said:

Might be the only one who's relatively disappointed by this album. Will post more thoughts later, but after an initial couple of start-to-finish listens, I'm feeling really underwhelmed.

Highlights include "Better Man," "Rollin'," "When Someone Stops Loving You" (although I absolutely detest the 'When someone stops loving you, it don't make the evening news' line so much), and the title track. Beyond that, so much of this record really washes itself away in lost opportunity. I appreciate its organic sound, but some of the lyrics really left me unimpressed, some of the songs felt like they were lacking strong hooks and/or strong melodies, and the track listing feels a little off to me. The album's highlights definitely shine, but for me, this is their weakest efforts to date. I've found that their other albums' high points are simply just bolder and better than this one's.

Luckily, "Better Man" has yet to burn on me. Seriously one of the finest things they've ever put on record.

I agree with pretty much your whole post. If you feel so inclined, read my huge ass post lol. You said some of the exact same things I did. You're definitely not the only one underwhelmed. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who is bothered by 'when someone stops loving you it don't make the the evening news' lyric. It's terrible!

[.indulgecountry]

This is a great album, but the ballads/slower songs on definitely the highlights. The uptempos are a little quirky (even for them) in terms of production and delivery, so I'm not really sure what I see them releasing to radio as the second single because I don't think they should go with another track like "Better Man" back-to-back, even though those are the best songs on the album imo (Beat Up Bible in particular is prob my fave <33). I also love "Lost in California," "Free," "Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old," "When Someone Stops Loving You," and "The Breaker." Either "Night on Our Side" or "We Went to the Beach" should (and will probably) be the next single, I'd say. I really hope this doesn't repeat the last two eras at country radio where they only get 1 more hit off this record and then a third/fourth single that underperforms. I want at least two more hits (whatever they may be)!

Also, I love the 'When someone stops loving you, it don't make the evening news' lyric, lmao.

[Active Aggressive]

This album, man...

Let me make a disclaimer: I got into country in HS with Shania Twain and then it was baby steps with Faith Hill's Cry album. I think my next big country albums were Josh Turner's Everything Is Fine, Alan Jackson's Like Red On A Rose, and Keith Urban's Love Blah Blah. I became obsessed with Sugarland when Stuck Like Glue was released and bought that album and Incredible Machine, as well as both of Jennifer's solo albums. To give you a taste of my other country albums: Sailor's Guide To Earth, Montevallo (and Between The Pines), The Driver, Traveller, all of Carrie's, Kill The Lights, Pageant Material, Jekyll + Hyde, Crash My Party, Spring Break...Here To Party (the album that got me into Luke Bryan, after hearing Country Girl). and Jewel's country output (but I am a Jewel stan so I will buy anything she does, including her children's album). I feel that my taste in country runs less traditional anyway - one of my all-time favorite country albums is Shania's Up! (Blue Version), for crying out loud. So, an album like this is right up my alley. Love it. I really get what people are saying about LBT's famous harmonies. All I knew of them before this was Girl Crush. As far as groups go, I think they are definitely better than Lady Antebellum, who I saw live the other week for that Artist's Den taping in NYC. It was cool to see them for free but the band was way too loud and drowned them out so it was one of my least favorite show I have ever seen (and I have been to over a hundred at this point), but it kinda left a bad taste in my mouth about Lady A, at least live. I hope LBT is really good live. I might go back down to Nashville to visit my buddy and catch their residency.

Ranking:
1. Better Man
2. When Someone Stops Loving You
3. Free
4. Beat Up Bible
5. Lost In California
6. We Went To The Beach
7. Drivin' Around
8. The Breaker

Also, Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old makes me want to sing Save Tonight instead. Nice song though. I really appreciate this album.

[George Strait Junkie]

Horrible album only a few tracks i will buy on itunes that i liked

and they are

Happy People
We Went To The Beach
Better Man
Beat Up Bible
When Somebody Stops Loving You
The Breaker

so i guess i only got 6 new LBT songs yay a new EP lol

[tryexp]

I know people in general don't seem to like happy people but it's one of the best upbeats for me. I love Beat Up Bible and I'm glad it finally got recorded and released, and Don't Die Young Don't get Old. And of course the first single. Overall I'm a bit disappointed but maybe the rest of the tracks will grow on me.

[Active Aggressive]

Feb 25, 2017 13:42:58 GMT -5 George Strait Junkie said:

Horrible album only a few tracks i will buy on itunes that i liked

and they are

Happy People
We Went To The Beach
Better Man
Beat Up Bible
When Somebody Stops Loving You
The Breaker

So...you liked exactly half the album then, LOL. The way your post started, I was expecting you to list 3 songs max.

[Deleted]

Standouts for me on this album are "Better Man" "The Breaker" "Beat Up Bible" "Night On Our Side" "Free" "We Went to the Beach".

Really the only song I don't care for is "Happy People" and that's because I just find it so weird. A couple of the songs sound like they'd be better served on Pain Killer. But as a whole this album works as they focused so much on the harmonies.

When Little Big Town is on their A game, they make the majority of country music look like chumps and amateurs.

[codyj100]

This album is pure gold. The ballads are miles better than the uptempos, but that doesn't mean that they are bad. The Breaker is a step forward sonically for Little Big Town, and I am pleased. There are certain aspects of the album, that I wish existed. One extra song which includes Kimberly on lead would be a great balance. I love her voice and it is quite nice to hear her shine on "Beat Up Bible." Jimmi, and Philip also sound incredible as always. I love Karen, but as she has become more of the lead, I don't feel there is a need to go into her vocal performances. With this album I was more concerned with the amount of time (Kim, Philip, and Jimmi) would have as leads and how prominent they would actually be on this record.

I have seen quite a few people diss "When Someone Stops Loving You." I don't get the hate with that song, even the 'evening news' line works with me. I believe I saw a RollingStone country article confirming the song as the second single from The Breaker following, "Better Man." Can anyone confirm this, because I can't seem to track down the article again.

Overall rankings:

1. "Free" - can't take this one off repeat. This has such a strong message and the production doesn't overpower the meaning at all. 
2. "Better Man" - I admit, I've like Taylor Swift, but have cared less and less for her. However, writing props go to her and Karen's delivery is incredible. A career song for LBT. 
3. "Night On Our Side" - the best up-tempo on the record, and the only possibility in terms of single choices if we were discussing up-tempo songs. 
4. "When Someone Stops Loving You" - LOVE. End of story. 
5. "We Went To The Beach" - I love the production on this, and it takes me back to a simpler time. 
6. "Beat Up Bible" - beautiful. 
7. "Rollin'" - instant jam. Jimmi slays. 
8. "The Breaker" - interesting take on a song. The opposite of having your own heart broken. However, the song is far too short, IMO. 
   
9. "Happy People" - despite the hate, I can overlook the weird production and have an appreciation for the lyrics. 
   
10. "Lost In California" - unlike "The Breaker," this one drags for me within the last minute or so. I like it, it's just not my favorite. 
11. "Drivin' Around" - like this one, but I'm not fully hooked. 
12. "Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old" - let's face it, a song has to go last. The only reason this one does is because it's a little too repetitive for my liking. 

Singles:
"Better Man"
"When Someone Stops Loving You"
"Night On Our Side"
"We Went To The Beach" (if we even get a fourth). 

[.indulgecountry]

I think I'd rank the tracks like this:

01. Better Man
02. Beat Up Bible
03. Lost in California
04. Free
05. Happy People
06. Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old
07. When Someone Stops Loving You
08. We Went to the Beach
09. The Breaker
10. Night On Our Side
11. Rollin'
12. Drivin' Around

It's a shame they can't just release ballad/mid-tempos from this era because this album has some of their best, while the up-tempos are some of their worst that they've ever recorded (and not very radio friendly, either). Honestly, I think "Night on Our Side" is the only up-tempo single option they have here so either that or "We Went to the Beach" (mid-tempo but would be seasonally appropriate and I think it'd make a fine single as well) needs to be next. Unfortunately, I can see this being another era where they start strong but by the end of it the radio presence has faded because I don't hear a lot of standout singles on this project.

I'd probably do something like this:
1. Better Man
2. We Went to the Beach
3. Night on Our Side
4. Beat Up Bible /or/ Free /or/ When Someone Stops Loving You

I think that would be a solid era for them; I could see 'Beach' and 'Night' back-to-back doing well enough to end their curse of '2 major hits' per era and bump them up to a third, but beyond that, I'm unsure. Great album though and I'm glad that "Better Man" was huge for them! <3

[LBTrocks]

"Night on Our Side" and "Rollin'" are really the only two I'd want as singles. "We Went To The Beach" is the definition of mediocre and while I adore "Beat Up Bible" and think Kimberly and the harmonies are fantastic on it, I don't really see it working as a single. I'm not sure something like "When Someone Stops Loving You" would work either, but I think it would have a better chance simply because it's Jimi led and not Kimberly led. That sucks to say, but I feel it's true. I don't think radio really wants Kimberly or Phillip led singles. Radio wants Karen and/or Jimi.

Honestly, I don't hear any hits on this album. "Better Man" was it IMO. I hope their next album is more like their past music. This is a good album and I like many songs on it, but it still can't compete with the gloriousness of their previous music. I want them to write and record more of their own music again, with an emphasis put on getting back to their roots as a band. And I honestly want them to fire Jay Joyce lol. He's good, but the bad greatly outweighs the good with him. Questionable production choices and tinny vocals with less of a focus on harmony is what we've gotten with him. This album is on the right track with shifting the focus back to harmony, but vocally the music is still much weaker than their past material. Wayne Kirkpatrick was where it was at. He was fantastic.

[Dustin J.]

Feb 27, 2017 20:04:21 GMT -5 LBTrocks said:

And I honestly want them to fire Jay Joyce lol. He's good, but the bad greatly outweighs the good with him. Questionable production choices and tinny vocals with less of a focus on harmony is what we've gotten with him.

This x1000.

[Deleted]

If I was doing singles I'd do this

1. Better Man
2. Night On Our Side
3. Free
4. Beat Up Bible (both these two are way to awesome and I would love for them to be released)

This isn't a radio friendly album, but I'd rather have that then Little Big Town release a bunch of fluff custom made for radio. I really love how they focused on the harmonies and the songwriting really improved greatly. I really love this album a lot.

[codyj100]

I'd love to see "Free" released at some point, I forgot to add that to my singles prediction list. The more I listen to that song, the more I have an appreciation for LBT. I know, it's odd how one song can make you appreciate at a greater length, a group you've loved for so long. But, that song truly does it for me. 

[d3vin44]

I'm glad I waited almost a week to write this, since at first listen I was VERY underwhelmed. This album is a grower, thats for sure. Very enjoyable, there are 2 songs I seem to skip over (Drivin' Around and Breaker). Not too shabby. Here are my thoughts!


Happy People- Good message, sounds retro to me maybe a slight 70's feel. Was a favorite of mine from the get go but is not growing like some others are.

Night on Our Side- Harmonies on this are fantastic! For some reason though this song is forgettable to me.

Lost in California- THIS SONG! It is the easiest of songs to listen to. I think it could play for 30 minutes non stop and I wouldn't mind, I get sad every time it ends. Also love the weird little noises they make at the end. I can picture them performing this on next years grammy awards and it would be huge off of that. This is genre-less and a GROWER for me.

Free- Again, another song with awesome harmonies. This song does such a fantastic job of painting a mental picture. Very easy listening

Drivin' around- This is totally a song I feel like I should love, but I just don't. As someone else said sounds like Pain Killer leftovers. I loved Pain Killer, still can't bring myself to like this. Overproduced, boring.

We went to the beach- This one is fine, feels a little awkward. This is also forgettable to me, its not terrible by any means, just boring. I sure hope they don't release this as some of you suggest they should. ;)

Better Man- Absolutely great song and perfect single. I do wish I never knew Taylor wrote it. I think of her every time I hear it now and I'd rather not. Lol Karen is so great on this.

Rollin'- I wouldn't be upset if this was the second single. I think it's about time to release a Jimi song. The harmonies are great and it's upbeat. Reminds me of old LBT

Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old- I am obsessed with this song! I don't expect it will be a single though. I love how Karen is singing on this album. It's a softer side I feel like we haven't seen. This one, happy people and lost in California are all much softer and very pretty.

Beat Up Bible- Kimberly is my favorite, her voice is so tender and fragile. Perfect song for her. Great song brings out all the emotions from a life of great memories. I just wish there was also an uptempo song with Kimberly on lead.

When Someone Stops Loving You- This has huge hit potential. I'm not a fan of male vocalists much but jimi sings the CRAP out of this. I love it, but that evening news line gets to me. Something about it is just weird. Beautiful song

Breaker- Sad song very sad. But boring as hell. Odd choice to name the album after.


My choice of singles, in order:
-Better Man
-Rollin' (upbeat for summer)
-When Someone Stops Loving You (Fall/Winter ballad)
-Lost In California (Close out this era next Spring/Summer)

[.indulgecountry]

Feb 27, 2017 20:04:21 GMT -5 LBTrocks said:

"Night on Our Side" and "Rollin'" are really the only two I'd want as singles. "We Went To The Beach" is the definition of mediocre and while I adore "Beat Up Bible" and think Kimberly and the harmonies are fantastic on it, I don't really see it working as a single. I'm not sure something like "When Someone Stops Loving You" would work either, but I think it would have a better chance simply because it's Jimi led and not Kimberly led. That sucks to say, but I feel it's true. I don't think radio really wants Kimberly or Phillip led singles. Radio wants Karen and/or Jimi.

I follow your line of thinking here and in a way it makes sense -- Jimi seems like a more visible member of the band than Phillip does, probably because he's Karen's husband and that they've done some duet singles together -- but "Bring It on Home" is a Phillip lead and that was much bigger at country radio than anything with Jimi on lead (even if that single was a hit 11 years ago now, lol). Based on their track record as of late, Karen is probably the only one radio really "wants," but that may also just be a product of her being the lead singer on most of their singles, and thus most of their hits which has made her the most recognizable and distinguishable member.

Honestly, I think it'd be pretty neat if "Night on Our Side," "We Went to the Beach," and "Beat Up Bible" could all be singles because then all 4 of them would have a turn on lead, and coincidentally those are the 4 I'd prefer as the rest of the era's singles: 'Night' and 'Beach' have the best chance of being additional Top 10s off this record, imo, and 'Bible' is just a beautiful song I'd love to see released even though I could see it having a similar peak to "Your Side of the Bed" or "Sober."

It's been quite awhile since they've had a hit with someone other than Karen front-and-center, so it'll be interesting to see how this era shapes up because I just can't see them making it through this era without releasing something that someone else sings lead on given the songs on this record.

[bamafan2102]

This album reminds me of almost all of David Nails albums. Lots of good songs but other than Better Man, no single material.

[phil1996]

I hear a lot of Bon Jovi in Jimi's voice.

[.indulgecountry]

"Happy People" has kinda snuck up on me lately. When I first got the album I didn't think much of it, but it's been a huge grower and I actually could see that one being a solid single choice as well. If "Like a Wrecking Ball" could do as well as it did for Eric Church, then I think "Happy People" would do fine on radio. It's a really pleasant song to listen to in the car.

[Active Aggressive]

Now I don't spot any weak songs in the bunch. Great album. I really enjoy listening to it at least once a day and Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old has really snuck up on me. I am mesmerized by the vocals on this album and the vibe of Lost In California is so beautiful.

[Kanenrá:ke]

Finally getting a first listen through, I'm loving it on first listen but it's the type of album that'll need multiple listens to fully sink in. I'll try posting more thoughts later. :)

[Deleted]

I was really excited to listen to this as "Better Man" is absolutely amazing, so I was expecting an album full of pure gold, but unfortunately I was wrong. I actually considered not finishing the album by the time I got to "Drivin' Around", but thought I'd power through, mercifully though, Spotify couldn't bear the burden of playing this any longer and shut down shortly after "Drivin' Around" began. So, I thought it best to respect Spotify's choice.

The production was just had. Didn't really like any of the songs in the part of the album I got through.

[Cody Wants Out...]

My rankings:

1) "Better Man"
2) "Night On Our Side"
3) "Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old"
4) "Free"
5) "Rollin"
6) "When Someone Stops Loving You"
7) "Beat Up Bible"
8) "The Breaker"
9) "We Went to the Beach"
10) "Lost in California"
11) "Happy People"
12) "Drivin' Around"

Like quite a few others on here, I'm also pretty underwhelmed with this record, considering the masterpieces they had with Wayne Kirkpatrick as producer. Jay Joyce started off fairly promising with Tornado, but it seems that everyone went off the deep end here for the past couple of records (particularly this one) and I think song selection made this album weaker than it should've been; production of the songs themselves probably wouldn't have changed much even if some of the duds were exchanged for something stronger.

This album took about 3 straight-through listens to get a good vibe, and I don't see my current rankings changing much. I like the songs in my top 8; I actually don't care much for the bottom four and I think the bottom two have some pretty questionable lyrics that I never thought would come from them (not the songs in their entirety, of course; just bits and pieces). "California" and "Beach" have some good lyrics, but I didn't find the melodies engaging enough for me.

Although I have "Bible" in the middle of my pack, it is growing on me for sure. I don't think it would work as a single, but the mostly acoustic setting definitely made it stand out from most of the slicker-sounding songs on the record. The title track is one that I can see myself getting into, with a similarly stripped-down atmosphere and interesting melody. WSSLY is good, but a little too sad for my taste. When I read about all the hatred towards the "evening news" line, I was thinking of it being jarring due to the extremity of that feeling instead of taking 'the sake of rhyming' into account. I actually don't mind it, flaws and all, and wouldn't be surprised to see it as a single. "Rollin'" is pretty loud/intense, but I believe it works in this case. "Free" does sound more ethereal in comparison to some of their more stripped-down work, but I actually consider it one of my favorites. However, I think it would be too mellow and perhaps monotonous as a single. I do hear the "Save Tonight" in DDYDGO, but it's more of a dreamier version of it and I think it wouldn't sound that bad on the radio. "Night" is hands down the most infectious uptempo on this record and suspect it will also be a single somewhere down the line; wouldn't surprise me if it was next. The lead single is, of course, the best track on the record and nothing compares to it. In fact, I'm thinking BM will be the biggest single from the record and possibly the only #1 from the record as I don't see any future singles making it to the very top of the charts. Fortunately, I'm not counting out the top 5 or top 10 (hey, the latter will keep them on the radio, right? Their success so far has been acting more of a boomerang than a shining glow lately.)

OK, that felt longer than I anticipated and I promised myself to wait until later to critique the songs themselves. Maybe I'll go more in depth later?

P.S. I find it strange that Sweet is more prominent than Westbrook on the album cover, considering that Jimi has more lead vocals in their repertiore than Phil (usually just one more song per record, but still).

[onebuffalo]

#1 country, #4 top 200 album with 44,000 sold. Congratulations, Little Big Town!

[josh]

Anyone else find the quick transition between Happy People and Night On Our Side a little jarring?

[countryboy79]

Too early to judge for myself, but I can say that I don't find other hit singles as well as Better Man; it is a cohesive album ... but missing some great songs in tow.