I have to say that I have traditionally shied away from modern Country music stars but Capitol Nashville has one of the strongest lineups of any label working today and Little Big Town is a big part of that strong lineup. With their fourth album, The Reason Why, the quartet takes what they have been refining over the years and damn near perfect it.
What Little Big Town do so well here is invoke the spirits of the great songwriters from Country and Classic Rock and marry them in a melodious ceremony that is probably impossible not to be drawn into. The best example of this is the wildly emotional “Shut Up Train,” a song that manages to sound fresh and new while at the same time resurrecting a tradition that has been dormant for far too long. It rolls perfectly into the It-Would-Make-Ricky-Skaggs-Smile opening to “Why, Oh Why.” “The title track with its Cars-ish opening guitar riff is no slouch either, twisting and turning its way through one of the brightest tracks I’ve heard this year. Other highlights include the gentler slide of “Rain on a Tin Roof” and the lead single “Little White Church” (which leads me to believe they should be touring alongside Dierks Bentley).
Little Big Town score big with The Reason Why. This album will definitely make me year end favorites list. The four part vocal harmonies and the pristine production that makes each instruments contribution crystal clear are impossible to deny. Little Big Town are one of the best bands in modern music and this album will prove it. If you enjoy the new Dierks Bentley, mid-career Ricky Skaggs, the Dixie Chicks good albums or you like your Classic Rock flavored with a little Southern spice then you’ll love Little Big Town’s The Reason Why.
Reviewed by Mark Fisher
