In February, they gave us their eighth studio album, The Breaker. And with writing credits from Lori Mckenna, Hilary Lindsey, Liz Rose and even Taylor Swift, it's fair to say expectations were high. Their previous two Country albums (we'll just sweep "Wanderlust" under the rug for now) meant that LBT had already set the bar pretty high for themselves. So, did they pull it off?
Let's start with the first track from the album, "Happy People". Don't let the title fool you, at a first glance you may expect an upbeat party track similar to "Good People" or "Day Drinking" but "Happy People" is a deep, thought-provoking track. Songwriting from Lori Mckenna brings us melancholy, somewhat cynical lyrics such as "Happy people don't cheat, happy people don't lie, happy people don't hate".
The simple arrangement around Karen Fairchild's lead vocals on this track makes it an excellent, attention-grabbing prologue to the rest of the album.
The simple arrangement around Karen Fairchild's lead vocals on this track makes it an excellent, attention-grabbing prologue to the rest of the album.
Up next is "Night On Our Side". Immediately we're hit with those famous LBT harmonies that we've come to expect. "Night On Our Side" is an anthemic, Country-Rock track with lead vocals from Jimi Westbrook. This is a great party track and I wouldn't be surprised if they release it as a single at some point.
The third track on the album, "Lost In California" initially hits you with the Country sound that ran less clear on the previous two tracks. It's a sweet love song with a dreamlike production which initially suits the lyrics. However, as the song progresses, I can't help but feel this song meanders at five minutes long. It especially didn't need that minute long, experimental outro section - What on earth are those bizarre vocal shenanigans at the very end!? This song could have been much better without the need to try to be arty - if it ain't broke don't try and fix it!
The third track on the album, "Lost In California" initially hits you with the Country sound that ran less clear on the previous two tracks. It's a sweet love song with a dreamlike production which initially suits the lyrics. However, as the song progresses, I can't help but feel this song meanders at five minutes long. It especially didn't need that minute long, experimental outro section - What on earth are those bizarre vocal shenanigans at the very end!? This song could have been much better without the need to try to be arty - if it ain't broke don't try and fix it!
Similar to "Night On Our Side", "Driving Around" is about having a good time with friends.
It also brings us more of those loud, unmistakable LBT harmonies. Impressive as they may be, I can't help but think less would have been more on this track - particularly the way they all sing the word "around". It has obviously been done intentionally to emphasise the word and possibly make the song more memorable but, repeated throughout the song, it becomes irritating.
"We Went To The Beach" comes as a breath of fresh air at this point. A nostalgia-filled Country song with lead vocals from Philip Sweet. It may be simple but the convincing storytelling in this song alongside simple music makes it one of the strongest on the album. The easy-listening vocals are a welcome change from the usual harmonies which often overpower the lyrics and the music. Perhaps my favourite from this album.
"We Went To The Beach" comes as a breath of fresh air at this point. A nostalgia-filled Country song with lead vocals from Philip Sweet. It may be simple but the convincing storytelling in this song alongside simple music makes it one of the strongest on the album. The easy-listening vocals are a welcome change from the usual harmonies which often overpower the lyrics and the music. Perhaps my favourite from this album.
Expectations were high when LBT announced that their first single from this album, "Better Man", was penned by Taylor Swift - that's a lot of pressure! However, Little Big Town perfectly executed this song. Lead vocals from Karen Fairchild are filled with the emotion needed to pull this one off. In terms of the arrangement, this song is the ideal blend of LBT harmonies and powerful instrumentation - if only they used this ratio more often...
As with many albums, The Breaker has it's fair share of "filler" tracks. "Rollin'", "Free" and "Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old" stood out for not standing out. "Don't Die Young..." particularly had the potential to be a stronger contender but the lack of emotion and conviction in the delivery of the lyrics let down some great songwriting.
The final three tracks on the album leave fans on a high. "Beat Up Bible" is an emotional ballad and whilst it wasn't self-written, Kimberly Schlapmann effortlessly delivers the lyrics with such conviction and sentiment. I think this album may have been much stronger if she had taken the lead on more than just this one song.
"When Someone Stops Loving You" is an open, relatable song with a flare of Blue-Eyed Soul (think Girl Crush). The lyrics come as a collaborative effort from Hilary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Chase McGill and if you're a fan of the bittersweet honesty of Mckenna and Lindsey then you won't be disappointed.
The final song, and title track of this album, The Breaker, is an apologetic ballad about breaking someone's heart. The song leaves a lasting impression with some very powerful lyrics - the perfect finale to a solid LBT album.
Overall, this album, though stronger than "Tornado" and "Painkiller", is somewhat hit or miss. Great songs such as "Beat Up Bible", "We Went To The Beach" and "The Breaker" are let down by weaker songs, "Rollin'", ""Lost In California" and "Driving Around".
In a genre that values "four chords and the truth", I would prefer to hear Little Big Town let the music do the talking more often as opposed to "clever" four-part harmonies and experimental production techniques which too often drown out the emotion of the song.
In a genre that values "four chords and the truth", I would prefer to hear Little Big Town let the music do the talking more often as opposed to "clever" four-part harmonies and experimental production techniques which too often drown out the emotion of the song.
Little Big Town aimed to be the band without a frontman. However, in recent years, Karen Fairchild has slipped into the role of lead singer. Whilst her delivery of "Girl Crush" was incredible, I would prefer for her to take a step back and let the others take the lead on more of the songs, if not on singles (marketing is a powerful thing) then at least on more of the other album tracks. The sentiment of "We Went To The Beach" (Philip Sweet) and "Beat Up Bible" (Kimberly Schlapman) is far more convincing and powerful than in songs such as "Free", "Lost In California and "Don't Die Young, Don't Get Old" which are led by Karen Fairchild.
To put it simply, at its strong points, this album is incredible; at it's weaker points, it's awful.
As a whole project, however, The Breaker is a solid album from Little Big Town and I am sure I will be listening to it again for a while.
Best songs: "Beat Up Bible"; "Better Man"; "We Went To The Beach".
Worst songs: "Driving Around"; "Free"; "Lost In California"
Rating: 6.5/10
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