That's what Red from The Shawshank Redemption would call a "shitty pipe dream." I know it's not true, but it's my secret "what if?"
The main problem with the album is that Little Big Town should not be doing up-tempo songs. Or maybe it's just the up-tempo songs on this album, or the ones that they choose. But the thing is, the three best songs on the album are when they slow it down. They need to learn how to make an up-tempo country song without turning it into a rock song. That balance is something they don't seem to have.
There are three strong tracks on the album worth noting. "Tumble and Fall," "Live Forever," and "Silver and Gold." These are the tracks where Little Big Town is at there strongest, where they show that they have some real potential if they would just tap into it. The production on these tracks is scaled back, the lyrics are stronger (maybe not as much with "Silver and Gold," which is slightly repetitive, but I still liked this song), and the vocals are at their best.
Again, it's when they go to up-tempo songs that everything goes sour. The up-tempo songs are rock songs on this collection, not country. Seriously, listen to "Stay All Night," and tell me what is remotely country about the song. Though "Stay All Night" is edged out of being the worst track by "Turn the Lights On." And "Fastest Gun" had a decent chorus, but the production and the arrangement were so blatantly rock that it ruined what otherwise might have been a pretty cool song.
Only one up-tempo song on the album showed any real potential, and that was the title track. It was nothing to write home about, but it wasn't abysmal. It may have been even a decent song if it weren't for the unnecessary and annoying inflection that Fairchild felt the need to add to the end of the chorus..."away-ay-ay-ay-ay."
And of course "Day Drinking" is just another song about getting drunk for no reason. Remember when drinking songs used to be about something? Remember when George Jones sang that "a man can be a drunk sometimes, but a drunk can't be a man." People used to drink for a reason in drinking songs, and even when there was just a good old-fashioned getting drunk song, it wasn't every other song being played on the radio.
The album, in the end, had a few strong moments, but in the end, there was little to save this album from being just another rock album marketed as country. | need[s] to learn how to make an up-tempo country song without turning it into a rock song. That balance is something they don't seem to have. Little Big Town[...] |