Where on earth did this come from? Little Big Town has been in a commercial slump. I thought their career was virtually over! And then, all of the sudden, I see them climbing back up the charts with the coolest song I’ve heard this summer!
“Little White Church” is the first single from LBT’s upcoming fourth album The Reason Why. By now, you’ve probably heard it a few times, but let’s consider what makes it such an awesome single. The song is backed by an instrumental line-up that is deceptively simple, yet still interesting, consisting of fast-paced acoustic strumming with electric guitar riffs tastefully inserted. The hand clapping in the pre-chorus is icing on the cake. Finish it off with a spunky and authoritative lead vocal from Karen Fairchild, enhanced by LBT’s signature four-part harmonies that have been sorely missed on country radio.
The song already sounds awesome enough, but when you take a look at the lyrics, you see that they actually aren’t half bad. The female narrator admonishes her lover for not taking their relationship seriously. She tells him to take her “down to the little white church” and marry her. Otherwise, their relationship will end. Thus, the band has produced a song that, besides being insidiously catchy and fun, has a positive message about commitment in a relationship. (I wonder if Miranda Lambert has been playing this song for Blake Shelton lately) For some extra spice, they sprinkle in clever lines such as “I might be cheap, but I ain’t free” and “No more chicken and gravy/ Ain’t gonna have your baby…” Zing! Let him have it, girl!
A crazy-awesome Southern-flavored backwoods romp like this one might be just what country radio needs to get out of this period of utter dullness. It’s hard to guess how high this song will peak on the charts, considering LBT’s inconsistent chart performance history, but an ambitious single such as this has potential to be the biggest hit of the band’s career.
LBT’S SCORE: 10
(Scores are given on a scale of 1 to 10)
SEE THE OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B077Dw_zDe0