Less than a year after the release of their more pop-oriented, Pharrell Williams-produced collection “Wanderlust” in 2016, the country quartet Little Big Town have gone back to their more traditional roots with their eighth studio album, “The Breaker,” which was released on Friday, February 24.
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Critics admire the new album, which has scored 78 on MetaCritic and invited comparisons to Fleetwood Mac. The group’s harmonies have been described as “glistening” and “supple,” and they’re “at the top of their game.” This is the band’s first pure country record since 2014’s “Pain Killer,” which produced the crossover hit single “Girl Crush,” winning them their second Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance.
Now Little Big Town are nominated for Vocal Group of the Year at the 2017 ACM Awards, a category they have won for three of the last four years, including the last two in a row. Do you think they’ll defend their ACM title and win more Grammys next year? Check out some of the reviews for “The Breaker” below, and join the music discussion in our forums.
Academy of Country Music v. Country Music Association Awards:
What is the difference?
Chuck Arnold (Entertainment Weekly): “‘When Someone Stops Loving You’ gets all the post-dump details right, while the title track crushes you softly from the heartbreaker’s perspective. But the album isn’t all wistful mistiness: LBT’s glistening harmonies beam a little California sunshine on ‘Night on Our Side.'”
Thomas Erlwine (AllMusic): “Here, the quartet double down on soft rock and supple harmonies, sounding like a 21st century revival of Fleetwood Mac, albeit one without the roiling internal tension. Smoothness is a selling point with Little Big Town: their melodies slide, their harmonies glide, their music seems utterly at peace with the moment. “
Predict the 2017 ACM Awards now! Who will win Entertainer of the Year?
Robert Ham (Paste): “For as much fun as ‘Wanderlust’ often was, the sound of ‘The Breaker’ is really the band’s wheelhouse … The group quickly settles into the tried and true, and they sound great doing it.”
Will Hermes (Rolling Stone): “A back-to-basics country record that returns the spotlight to the group’s unmatched ability to transform subtle Nashville lyricism into major pop drama … At the top of their game, Little Big Town are taking an unlikely path: respectable, mid-career album artist.”
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