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Little Big Town's 'Nightfall' is a Musical Masterpiece

The stunning new album from the foursome will hit you right in the core.

By Leah SherlockPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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Photo credit: Instagram @littlebigtown

The ninth album from Country legends Little Big Town is simply astonishing. The authentic, troublesome, hauntingly beautiful record will take you to places no record has done before.

Self-produced by the band themselves, for the first time since 2005's The Road to Here, the album solidifies their place as one of the greatest Country bands of all time.

On the eve of album release day, Little Big Town played a sold out show at New York's Carnegie Hall, with a setlist of the record from top to bottom, a tradition they started many years ago. This marks the start of a six month US theatre tour, which will showcase this album exquisitely.

Starting the record off romantically with the soulful 'Next To You' and the title track 'Nightfall', their legendary harmonies accompany the lead vocals of Karen Fairchild, who co-wrote the latter alongside Daniel Tashian and Fancy Hagood. When asked to describe the next track in one word, band member Phillip Sweet simply said 'Church' - and that, it is. Written by the band and musician Foy Vance, 'Forever and a Night' puts you on a Church pew next to the person you love most, an early standout from the record.

Kimberley Schlapman has her shining moment next on 'Throw Your Love Away' written by the ladies of LBT and The Love Junkies (Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose). A dreamy take on a breakup song, that allows us to hear yet another side of Schlapman's vocals. Lead single 'Over Drinking' is the fifth track on the record, and alongside the sixth track 'Wine, Beer, Whiskey' this record goes full-on Country. Showcasing their Alabama roots, the two essential songs give us an old-yet-new take on breakups and life.

Half way through the record, 'Questions' hits and starts to make your heart hurt. One of my personal favourites of the record, Fairchild's aching vocals will make you demand answers to these questions. Co-written by Fairchild alongside Jon Green and Sara Haze, it is a distinct and relatable song that will stop you in your tracks. Track eight is Grammy-nominated 'The Daughters' that was released in April 2019. A powerful and thought provoking song, which heard live will make you re-think your entire being and challenge all stereotypes. Heartbreaking track 'River of Stars' paints a beautiful and disappointing picture of longing, and brings us a duet from Fairchild and husband Jimi Westbrook, and allows us to reminisce Tornado's 'Your Side of the Bed' with a hopeful ending.

Third single 'Sugar Coat' rounds up the tenth track. A devastatingly real account of an unhealthy relationship, Karen Fairchild's lead will send shivers down your spine. Written by Josh Kerr, Jordyn Shellhart and 1/3 of The Love Junkies, Lori McKenna (also responsible for 'Girl Crush), the song will break your heart by the end of the first verse. 'Problem Child' marks itself as Jimi Westbrook's standout moment from the record. A song for all the 'black sheep's' in the world, it poses the question "What's your problem, child?" One of the best harmonic moments of the record, the melodies created within the chorus are quintessential Little Big Town.

The penultimate track of the album ‘Bluebird’ rewinds back to the more romantic side of the record. A love song to fix pain and heartache it’ll make you smile and cry at the same time. Ending on a poignant and heart- rending note, ‘Trouble with Forever’ commands the inevitable conversation that “the trouble with forever is it always ends.” A perfect song to summarise an undeniable album.

Little Big Town continue to surprise us by breaking boundaries and barriers within Country music, and Nightfall is no exception. A pure and bona fide portfolio of a remarkable band.

Like what you read? Follow me on Instagram @behindthesounds_ for daily country content and to be the first to hear about my new blogs!

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About the Creator

Leah Sherlock

Country music buff, gig lover, sports fan and travel monkey!

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