David Hepworth, the veteran British music journalist, broadcaster and co-founder of magazines including Q and Mojo, was talking about country music recently and suggested that, ultimately, it is all about the stories. Little Big Town reckon it is about the stories that brought us to this point.
After the brief “Intro”, “Sucker For A Sad Song” makes that clear. Granted, there is just as much soul and blues here as country, but that hardly matters. “I’m a sucker for a sad song,” sings Jimi Westbrook, and never mind the story within it, that line alone seems to capture the essence of the record.
Ashley Monroe joins them, and the voices combine magnificently. Like all Little Big Town’s work, it is as polished as you like and chock-full of harmonies, but that never means it lacks feeling.
The acoustics of “The Door”, coupled with a male vocal from the genius that is Jason Isbell, give it an entirely different feel. The heartbreak is real, while the guitar is particularly mournful.
The title track has more of a pop flavour and explores the nicer side of love, as it were. The chorus, though, is pure class and everything is exquisitely done. “Are we still good after all this time?” goes one lyric, and it might as well apply to Little Big Town themselves after a quarter of a century together.
“Hey There Sunshine” is built around a brilliant vocal exploring recovery, dovetailing beautifully with the piano and strings. “Over And Over”, meanwhile, offers an interesting take on the one you cannot forget, even though you know you should.
“The Idea” watches a relationship break down and is brilliantly constructed. The clever thing is that, like the outside world within the song, you barely notice the collapse because everything sounds so idyllic.
“We Could Have It All” underlines the quality of the musicianship throughout, before things get a little funky and bluesy down by the old fishing hole on “Crickets”.
That soul continues through “Closing Time”, with Kelsea Ballerini joining them for a boozy night that is about to end with a walk of shame in the morning.
Some of these songs possess an extra gravitas suggesting they belong in a musical, and “Long Way To Your Heart” is one of them. “It’s Coming Around” is darker and more primal, setting its blues against those sweet voices – the yin and yang, if you will.
“Jet Plane” finishes with the beautiful simplicity of leaving somewhere so you can come back home. Perhaps it is that simplicity which colours the whole album.
It’s A Dying Art is a reminder that just because a record is easy to listen to, it does not make it easy listening. Little Big Town cover plenty of ground here, but the results are as relaxed as they are superb.
Records this good are a dying art indeed.
Rating: 8.5/10
