Little Big Town’s New Album Proves We Shouldn’t Take the Band for Granted
Developed over time first seen 2 months ago
Little Big Town’s 12th studio album, *It’s a Dying Art*, is portrayed as a purposeful artistic evolution for the long-running country group. Karen Fairchild and co-producer Gena Johnson say they sought to preserve the human, collaborative and imperfect qualities of music-making, partly in response to concerns that AI could make songwriting less personal.
Released on Friday, the album moves beyond conventional country influences, with Jason Isbell providing guitar on “The Door” and other songs compared with Rufus Wainwright, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Fleetwood Mac. Little Big Town — Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Philip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook — have performed together since 1998, joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2014, and previously won CMA and Grammy awards for hits including “Pontoon”, “Better Man” and “Girl Crush”.
- Little Big Town pursue a more adventurous sound on their 12th album.
- The group emphasise human creativity over AI-assisted songwriting.
- The record blends country with broader rock and pop influences.
New here? Start with this
Little Big Town are a US country group made up of Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Philip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook. They formed in 1998 and became known for sharing lead vocals and close four-part harmonies, rather than having one permanent front person.
The band have had major country hits including “Pontoon”, “Girl Crush” and “Better Man”, and have won awards from the Country Music Association and the Grammys. In 2014 they were invited to join the Grand Ole Opry, a long-running institution in American country music.
Their work has often sat within mainstream country, but has also drawn on pop, rock and singer-songwriter traditions. The new record arrives as established musicians weigh how to preserve the role of human performers and writers as artificial intelligence becomes more widely used in music.
Full account
Little Big Town have reached the kind of longevity that can make a group seem permanently woven into Nashville’s fabric. Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook formed the band in 1998, marked 25 years together in 2024 and have since become Grand Ole Opry members and regular award winners. Their catalogue includes major country hits such as “Pontoon”, “Girl Crush”, “Day Drinking”, “Better Man” and the Taylor Swift-written “Better Man”, while their close four-part harmonies have made them dependable collaborators and performers. Their forthcoming twelfth studio album, It’s a Dying Art, arrives after 2022’s Mr. Sun and presents a group seeking to avoid simply relying on that established reputation.
The album is due on 28 August through MCA Nashville. Fairchild has described the sessions as an opportunity to begin a new chapter, with fewer outside expectations about what sort of record the group should make. Westbrook likewise said there was a renewed excitement in the studio. Rather than beginning with a clearly fixed collection of songs or concept, the band say they were especially selective, looking for writing that met a high standard and building the record gradually. Its title and song choices point towards a more reflective strain of country-pop, examining relationships, emotional uncertainty and resilience; the early release “Hey There Sunshine” also addresses mental health.
A significant part of the change came from Gena Johnson, who co-produced the album with Fairchild. Johnson’s previous work includes projects with Dolly Parton, John Prine, Chris Stapleton and Jason Isbell, and Fairchild had already worked with her on Shelby Lynne’s Consequences of the Crown. The band credit Johnson’s approach to recording vocals and shaping the overall sound with helping create the album’s atmosphere. Fairchild has characterised their aim as a preference for audible human voices, imperfect details and distinct instrumental textures, rather than a smoothed-over production. The result is described as leaving room around the harmonies and arrangements while still allowing the band to explore styles beyond a narrow definition of contemporary country.
Several guests contribute to the record. Isbell plays guitar on “The Door”; Kelsea Ballerini appears on “Closing Time”; and Ashley Monroe joins the band on “Sucker for a Sad Song”. “Crickets” is presented as a lighter, upbeat counterweight to the more searching material, while other songs are said to draw on harmony-led rock traditions associated with groups such as Crosby, Stills and Nash and Fleetwood Mac. Little Big Town are scheduled to support the release with a Today performance on 1 September and the For the Art of It tour, beginning in St Petersburg, Florida, on 24 September. Taken together, the reports portray the album not as a break with the band’s identity, but as an attempt to test how much further that identity can stretch after more than a quarter-century together.
Where outlets differ
Source 1 puts greater emphasis on the record’s sonic ambition, its analogue or human-feeling production values, and Fairchild’s creative partnership with Johnson; it also makes a strongly favourable critical assessment of the album. Source 2 focuses more on the band’s 25-year milestone, the practical recording process, guest performers, individual songs and forthcoming live dates.
Source 1 compares parts of the music with Rufus Wainwright, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Fleetwood Mac, whereas Source 2 foregrounds the band members’ own explanation of their renewed freedom and selectiveness. Both identify Johnson’s production as central and describe the album as more introspective than a straightforward party record.