Little Big Town has consistently proven itself to be one of country’s most interesting acts, finding ways to evolve and expand upon their pop-influenced sound within an ever-changing industry without ever losing the spirit and spark that made them stand out on their 2002 self-titled debut. On this 10th effort, the foursome pulls together an eclectic mix of party anthems, searching ballads, and vibey tunes suited for a sunny day out on the water. That the group recorded the album during the COVID-19 pandemic is most evident within the album’s lyrics, which, though still playful and with a through line of what’s become trademark positivity, include a healthy dose of introspection. “We've been together over 20 years,” Little Big Town’s Kimberly Schlapman tells Apple Music. “We've done so many things together, but we've never made a record in masks, in a pandemic, and with a lot of fear hovering over everyone’s lives at the time. [There’s] a lot of perspective about ‘If it ends tomorrow, what really matters?’ We were all faced with that, so there's a lot of that on the record.” Opening track “All Summer” is all groove, with soulful guitars and a playful beat soundtracking a glimpse at a romantic day spent in golden sunlight. “Heaven Had a Dance Floor” veers into disco territory, with a groovy beat sure to deliver on the chorus’s plea to “keep the records spinning,” thematically tying into the questions the group pondered while crafting the LP. “Last Day on Earth” is one of the finer examples of the group’s much-lauded harmonies, with their four voices seeming, at times, to blend seamlessly into one rich, complex vocal. And standout “Three Whiskeys and the Truth” finds LBT once again teaming up with the songwriting trio “the Love Junkies” (Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, and Liz Rose), with whom the band famously wrote their massive 2014 hit “Girl Crush.”
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- Little Big Town
- Apple Music
- Dierks Bentley
- Carrie Underwood
- Blake Shelton
- Maren Morris
- Keith Urban