Customer Reviews

The Reason Why

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

LBT's harmonies soar on their fourth release. The first single "Little White church" is sassy and fun with its cheeky lyrics and contagious hand claps. "Life Rolls On" is probably the second-most singable song on the CD and is really positive. I love Phillip's husky vocals on "All Over Again" and "Kiss Goodbye", it is awesome how they switch up leads and everything clicks so well. Karen owns "Shut Up Train", a very simple bluesy song, that is so haunting. And "You Can't Have Everything" is a fantastic COUNTRY song that Kimberly sings like a bird and the pedal steel is over the top. "Lean Into It" has a great message and "Why Oh Why" with its great guitar riffs and tight harmonies. One of the best new CDs this year.

As anyone whos been following the music of Little Big Town since 1998 should know, this is one of those rare country bands whose lineup has never changed, and who incorporate sounds of old-time Americana in their work to such an extent that you could easily mistake their recordings for something circa 1986. Of course, this may or may not be a good thing depending upon their target audience, but things have definitely improved on "The Reason Why", which is on their fourth label (hopefully they stick to this one for a while), and noticeably their most slickly produced work to date.

Listen, theres a wide country audience out there that gives equal credit to the likes of George Strait, Brad Paisley & Miranda Lambert, and honestly, Little Big Town is neither better nor worse than those acts. What they do have in spades, perhaps even more than Rascal Flatts & Montgomery Gentry do, is some great harmonizing. Comprised of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet, the equal amount of time given to each singer is commendable, considering that on bands such as Lady Antebellum, or even The Zac Brown Band, there is always one vocalist who hogs the limelight. Not so on this recording.

Lead single "Little White Church" is ironically the weakest cut here. I was supposed to review this album for a country digest that commissioned it, and spent about two days with my promo copy, post which it became clear that this was a keeper. Not in the sense that "Revolution" by Lambert or even "Whoevers in New England" by Reba McEntire were keepers, but the harmonizing here is excellent, and brought to mind The Roches, in places.

For a fourth album, this hits all the right notes. On a scale of modern country music and its effect on the general public, its ironic that music that I do not consider country by any means ("Fearless" by Taylor Swift, for instance), should outsell more rootsy records such as these. While Little Big Town would need more than just this album to hit the big time, this is a great pit stop on their road to further stardom. Sadly, with the likes of Jaron & The Long Road, or even Chuck Wicks clogging up country radio, its hard to imagine that true artistry such as the one displayed on the title track here would get the recognition it so rightly deserves.

Four Stars. A worthy addition to the LBT catalog.

There have always been some of Little Big Town's songs that I don't care for as much as others so I have never bought one of their cds. But, I love everything on their newest cd, The Reason Why. All of their voices are so strong and inflected with emotion, that it is hard to choose who is the most talented. The songs are at times very upbeat and fun and then they become beautiful and haunting and I appreciate the variation. It is obvious much effort and time have gone into this cd and I think the results are well worth the wait. From the very first catchy lines and music of The Reason Why, you will be hooked. I know I was.

I recently purchased "The Reason Why" by Little Big Town. I own both "The Road to Here" and "A Place to Land" by the same group. In my opinion there is not one bad song on any one of these three CD's. The band is branded as a country band, but in my opinion they are really a country rock band with a little bluegrass thrown in. "The Reason Why" has the same quality music on it that can be found in the other two CD's. Their harmonies are just as melodic as their other CD's. The quality of the music on this CD is superb. There are 12 tracks on "The Reason Why" and I like them all. Again if you like music from the Eagles or Fleetwood Mac, I think you will enjoy this group.

My daughter introduced me to Little Big Town - I must admit that I don't listen to too much Country music, so they came as a real surprise. But, it sure was a pleasant surprise! LBT is four fresh-faced youngsters that have a great sound, a sound that highly reminds me of Fleetwood Mac at their best, but given a great Country shine.

I agree, I think that this is their best album yet. I really liked Why Oh Why, and Rain On A Tin Roof, and I loved Little White Church (OK, who didn't?). But, heck, they are all excellent tunes. So, let me just say that if you are a fan of Country music, or just love that beautiful harmonizing that Fleetwood Mac did so well, then you will love this album. I give it my highest recommendations!

I've been following Little Big Town since the release of "THE ROAD TO HERE" and have been an ardent fan since. Their approach to folkish, rootsy music is a breath of fresh air. Their music is honest and down-to-earth; there is no artificial flamboyance to this band. That all 4 are lead vocalists in this band adds to the wonder. And of course, when all four sing together, Little Big Town becomes a classic example of the sum of parts being infinitely greater than the individual components.

"THE REASON WHY" continues to retain all of the elements that make Little Big Town so special, plus a little bit more of the major studio magic (given that this is the first official release from a major recording label by the band - all their previous releases were independent).

So, what's different?
1. The songs have more oomph. "THE ROAD TO HERE" and "A PLACE TO LAND" had great songs, but those songs lacked development and taking it a further step to brilliance. Current bands that do this well - U2, Coldplay. Now include Little Big Town. "Shut Up Train" is a good example, on the 2 aforementioned albums, the song would likely have ended at 3:00. Instead, it gets a 45-second extension that makes it so much more memorable and emotional. "Kiss Goodbye" is tellingly going to be a crowd favourite, imagine the sheer epic-ness of the chorus and the song that just continues to build to the magnificent climax. I can already hear them perform this live. The opening track, "The Reason Why" is explosive as an album opener.
2. Singing is styled to fit the mood of the song. The Western grit is clearly evident in the opening lines and excellent note-holding in "Runaway Train", a stomp your feet on the ground country rocker. "Yeah, I sold my guitar for a diamond riiiinnnnggggg..."... how can you not just sing along? "Why, Oh Why" has predictable harmonies in its opening line "why, oh why..." but takes those harmonies one step further in the second line "lies, your lies...". What a delightful surprise.
3. Little Big Town's true nature and characteristics that set them apart from any other country bands is given stronger emphasis. How? "Little White Church" is "Boondocks" #2 but given an additional boost and dosage of boots, cowboy hat and dirt.

On top of all that, you still get the Little Big Town you've loved so much. Here's why:
1. Despite the talked-up major studio touch, Little Big Town has retained its identity. "THE REASON WHY" is distinctively Little Big Town.
2. I love Little Big Town ballads. Guess what - their here! "Rain On A Tin Roof" is an upscale "Bring It On Home". "Lean Into It" is an improved and tastefully arranged version of "Stay". "You Can't Have Everything" is a quiet, thoughtful one that reflects the lyrics superbly. It is also delivered with tremendous conviction.
3. The voices shine as brightly as ever. More than on any other prior Little Big Town release, all 4 vocalists get to carry songs on their own.

So, here's "THE REASON WHY" you should pick this one up. Then again, not that you needed any.

Liam F
26 September 2010

Hi there! I love Little Big Town's harmonies and had the pleasure of meeting them 2 times. I don't care if their last CD was a flop It had a song dear to my heart called "Only What You Make Of It". The song was comforting to me. OK, Let's get on with reviewing "The Reason Why" CD, Let's talk about the songs on it:

1. "The Reason Why" One of the tracks I heard at the Throwdown Tour. Karen and Jimi do this song as a duet(something Charles and Hillary of Lady A would do). It's also 1 of my fave tracks on the CD!

2. "Runaway Train" No, this is not the cover of the Soul Asylum hit, Jimi wrote this himself. The song does sound like a train going fast. Another 1 I heard on the Throwdown Tour. Like this 1 too.

3. "Kiss Goodbye" A song co-written by Hillary Lindsey (Who wrote for Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride among others). Phillip sings lead and plays piano on it. The harmonies for this song sound like it would've been on Little Big Town's first CD.

4. "Shut Up Train" Another song co-written by Hillary Lindsey. Karen's voice is totally beautiful on this and the harmonies too. I kinda don't get this song. Is Karen telling a train to shut up?

5. "Why Oh Why" Little Big Town opens their sets with this song at the moment. It was co-written by Jonathan Singleton. Kimberly's lead vocal really rocks on it!
Did I mention they start the song a capella?

6. "Little White Church" The first single off the CD about as big as "Boondocks"! It's a catchy song kinda copies "Single Ladies" by Beyonce. The hand claps go great with this song and Karen has a strong vocal on this one too. I can't even get this tune out of my head!!

7. "You Can't Have Everything" Kimberly's voice and LBT's harmonies are gorgeous on this one! Kinda sad It's about losing certain somethings.

8. "All The Way Down" This one with Karen on lead vocals, is really catchy as well. The beginning sounds like a old record sound, and you might not get the chorus out of your head anytime soon.

9."All Over Again" Phillip sings lead on this and it sounds like it would be an Adult Contemporary hit. Not a bad song.

10. "Rain On A Tin Roof" Julie Roberts performed this song before, but Jimi sings lead on this on the CD. You can learn more about this on the web.

11. "Life Rolls On" Jimi once again sings lead on this song as well. The la la part is fun to sing along with, and It might help you feel better.

12. "Lean Into It" I learned that the song was written when Wayne Kirkpatrick remembered the times the group went through, the good and the bad, also a song for people who go through hard times as well.

Trust me you will love this CD! take a listen to the samples, and download it or buy it! Thanks for reading! Have a Little Big Day!

After I first heard "Boondocks" by Little Big Town I was hooked. Loved the "Road To Here" album, but didn't feel that it's follow up, "A Place To Land" lived up to "Road". Well now with "The Reason Why" LBT has released what could be their best album yet. The album has a great set of songs with nothing that would be considered "filler". I love the whole album, but the stand out tracks are: "The Reason Why" (this will stick in your head for days), "Runaway Train", "Shut Up Train" (love the images conveyed in this track), "Little White Church" (great video and this has got to be a favorite in concert), "You Can't Have Everything" (hard core country, sounds a LOT like a Pam Tillis outtake), "All The Way Down" (another one that must be great in concert), "Lean Into It" (pristine harmony on this one). These for me are the best of the best, the whole album is very strong. This is one of those albums, that you will find yourself starting all over again once it ends. I played it three times back to back the other day!! Little Big Town is one the best country groups out there right now, and this album is "The Reason Why"!! (bad pun I know, but it works!)

Bottom-Line: In the final analysis, "The Reason Why" is a solid album, well produced, engineered, and performed, but it draws more heavily from contemporary stimuli than the quartets' previous offerings.

The opening track (The Reason Why) for Little Big Town's latest album, "The Reason Why" (2010) gave me hope that I was in for the same genre defining music that was so much a part of their last three studio releases. The lush 4-part harmony was there, as was the sumptuous C&W instrumentation that so mark Little Big Town as a creation of the country's authentic hinterland music. Yes, there are wisps of The Eagles--or Fleetwood Mac if you prefer--on the track, but this is vintage Little Big Town and I enjoyed the ride.

The very next track, Runaway Train, jumped the musical track from contemporary C&W to Pop/Rock almost too seamlessly and there went my enjoyment of this CD, well almost. The strong vocals were still present, but something else was there as well: heavy electric guitar licks that all but covered up the signature 4-part harmony that has kept me coming back to Little Big Town's music album after album.

Perhaps it is the lack of "real" commercial success that has caused the quartet to decide to go Pop/Rock, playing the "if you can't beat em' join em' game." It's a mystery to me why the group with it authentic C&W sound has failed to garner the critical acclaim and commercial success their talent deserves. After all they are far and away more authentically C&W and artistically capable than Lady Antebellum, Sugarland (sadly), Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, or a plethora of other acts out of Nashville of late that have seen critical and commercial achievement.

While some of "The Reason Why" holds true to Little Big Town's well-crafted C&W formula, the majority of the CD seems like a deliberate effort to distance itself from what came before, relying instead on (some) over-produced pop/rock inspired instrumentation and solo vocals by the band's strongest soloist, Karen Fairchild; track No. 4 Shut Up Train for example.

Fairchild is back as a soloist on track No. 6 Little White Church, which musically harkens back to the group's earlier efforts, making wonderful use of those blues riffs in its verses and chorus. It was the first single from The Reason Why and I have to say it is one of the best tracks since they broke out with Boondocks some five years ago on The Road to Here. The track is quintessential Country and is seriously fun to listen to.

While Little White Church is the clear standout on the CD, the rest of "The Reason Why" is solid, but with a Pop/Rock flavor that just doesn't set well with my musical ear that had readied itself for more of what came before only to be disappointed. Track No. 7 You Can't Have Everything, earns honorable mention because the song at least makes use of traditional C&W instruments on this decidedly melancholy number. Anther honorable mention goes to track No.10 Rain On A Tin Roof, which I first heard on Julie Roberts' self-titled CD. The groups does a good job with the song, but Julie did it better, if only marginally.

In the final analysis, "The Reason Why" is a solid album, well produced, engineered, and performed, but it draws more heavily from contemporary stimuli than the quartets' previous offerings. And the lush vocal performances have always been the calling card of Little Big Town; "The Reason Why" proves that no other group has greater skill in arranging vocal harmonies than these four citizens of the South, be they C&W, Pop, or Rock. That being said I want my old Little Big Town back!

It's hard to go wrong with Little Big Town. They are a fantastic group, and this CD is no downer! It'll make your commutes WAY more enjoyable! Did mine!