New Album Review: Little Big Town- Mr. Sun

Little Big Town- Mr. Sun

Label: Capitol

Producers: Little Big Town

The superstar country quartet marks two decades since their bumpy-but-eventually-triumphant arrival on the Nashville scene with the release of their tenth studio effort. It’s another well-rounded set that celebrates the vibrant and harmonious sounds that have made them one of the most refreshing and interesting acts in an often-maligned Music City era. As implied by its title and the groovy trifecta of anthemic openers (“All Summer”, “Better Love”, “Hell Yeah”), Mr. Sun definitely lets the rays in far more than its 2020 predecessor, the gorgeously wintry Nightfall, a record that arrived just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but seemed to forecast it’s solemn solitude nonetheless. If anything, the band offers up plenty of moments that, in classic country fashion, unabashedly find positive indulgence in life’s more downbeat moments, such as the blue-eyed soul of the title track or the funky, near-disco heartbreak of “Heaven Had A Dance Floor”. This isn’t to suggest that the world-stopping events of the past two and half years haven’t impacted their muse. Reflective moments like “Last Day of Earth” and “Friends of Mine”, and especially Jimi Westbrook’s career performance on “Rich Man”, not only tap into a changed world-view, but easily rank among the band’s most soulful performances to date. Two things that remain unchanged through any share of world events however are the power of a good heartbreak tune, and this band’s ability to take them to astonishing heights, as evidenced on the sun-kissed 70s ache of “Whiskey Colored Eyes”, or “Three Whiskeys and the Truth”, one of the group’s most deeply satisfying and pure country deliveries of their sterling career.

Track Listing:

1. “All Summer” (Karen Fairchild, Sarah Buxton, Madi Diaz, Ashley Ray, Savana Santos, Alysa Vanderheym)
2. “Better Love” (Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Tofer Brown, Audra Mae)
3. “Hell Yeah”, (Westbrook, Philip Sweet, Corey Crowder, Tyler Hubbard)
4. “Mr. Sun” (Buxton, Daniel Tashian)
5. “Three Whiskeys and the Truth” (Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose)
6. “One More Song” (Brown, Sean McConnell)
7. “Heaven Had A Dance Floor” (Fairchild, Westbrook, Sweet, Cary Barlowe, Jesse Frasure)
8. “Gold” (Fairchild, Westbrook, Trent Dabbs, Luke Dick)
9. “Rich Man” (Westbrook)
10. “God Fearing Gypsies” (Fairchild, Raye, Nicolette Hayford)
11. “Different Without You” (Crowder, Jared Mullins, Steve Lee Olsen, Jordan Schmidt)
12. “Whiskey Colored Eyes” (Fairchild, Schlapman, Sweet, Westbrook, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne)
13. “Song Back” (Fairchild, Westbrook, Todd Clark, Sara Haze, Jason Saenz)
14. “Something Strong” (Fairchild, Schlapman, Lindsey, McKenna, Rose)
15. “Last Day on Earth” (Fairchild, Dabbs, Tommy English)
16. “Friends of Mine” (Fairchild, Westbrook, Sweet, Schlapman, Foy Vance)