![\"Issue37-LITTLE-BIG-TOWN\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/Issue37-LITTLE-BIG-TOWN.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nFor more than 15 years Little Big Town has delivered irresistible harmonies, timeless melodies and compelling songs\u2014but the path to success has hardly been a straight line. In the late \u201990s they landed a major record contract, but the deal fizzled. In 2002 the group released their debut album on an indie label\u2014but it didn\u2019t fare well. Three years later, the band turned things around when their second album landed three Top 20s, including the No. 4 hit \u201cBring It on Home.\u201d But their third record was less successful. In 2010, the winds began to change again as their fourth album generated a Top 10.<\/p>\n
Two years later, the platinum-selling Tornado<\/i> proved a game-changer, scoring four hits\u2014including their first chart-topper, \u201cPontoon\u201d\u2014and a Grammy. \u201cIt\u2019s really humbling. We feel really grateful,\u201d says member Jimi Westbrook. \u201cWe worked so hard, and it means the world to us. When our moment happened, the people we respect and love were pulling for us. It\u2019ll be forever etched in our minds.\u201d<\/p>\n
With Little Big Town\u2019s latest, Pain Killer<\/i>, band members Westbrook, [Westbrook\u2019s wife] Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman and Phillip Sweet extend the streak by reconnecting with noted producer Jay Joyce (Eric Church, the Wallflowers, Cage the Elephant) who produced Tornado<\/i>. Likening him to a mad scientist conjuring sonic magic, Westbrook believes that Joyce\u2019s creative process strikes a balance with the band\u2019s perfectionist tendencies. \u201cWe want to get things just right, sometimes to a fault,\u201d he says. \u201cCompared with Jay, we\u2019re complete opposites. But he trusts our instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pain Killer<\/i> embarks upon stylistic detours\u2014from arena rock (\u201cSave Your Sin\u201d) to gothic pop (\u201cFaster Gun\u201d) and beachy reggae (title track)\u2014that push the boundaries of the group\u2019s previous material. Their songwriting process has also changed. \u201cSuccess changes the dynamic,\u201d says Westbrook. \u201cThis process was a little more laborious. In a perfect scenario, we\u2019d be writing for the whole year. But that\u2019s hard to do with the schedule we\u2019re keeping. For this album we had to block out time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Little Big Town also tapped a stable of ace songwriters including Jedd Hughes, Ryan Tyndell and Natalie Hemby. \u201cWe did the recording differently this time,\u201d says Westbrook. \u201cWe actually wrote in the studio. It was very productive, and the songs came together really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Little Big Town has dealt with many changes, but one thing hasn\u2019t wavered: mutual respect. \u201cThere are a lot of opinions, says Westbrook. “But we\u2019re settling into our own, and we\u2019re comfortable with who we are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014Blake Boldt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LITTLE BIG TOWN\u00a0\u00a0 Success brings a wealth of changes for the resilient country rockers For more than 15 years Little Big Town has delivered irresistible harmonies, timeless melodies and compelling songs\u2014but the path to success has hardly been a straight line. In the late \u201990s they landed a major record contract, but the deal fizzled. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[4525,2300,7660],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14664"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14664"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14666,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14664\/revisions\/14666"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}