Little Big Town's Carefully Woven 'Nightfall' Album Available Today

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

Yesterday (Jan. 16), Little Big Town performed a cosmic track-by-track showcase in celebration of their ninth studio album, Nightfall, at New York City’s famed Carnegie Hall, with the album releasing to the public shortly after the show at midnight. The captivating performance winded through the 13 new tracks, and ended with some of the band’s fan favorites, including “Pontoon,” “Tornado,” “Boondocks,” and “Girl Crush” among others.

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

The concert occurred just ahead of their two-night engagement, today (Jan. 17) and tomorrow (Jan. 18), at another of New York’s iconic venues, the Apollo Theatre, which officially kicks-off of their national Nightfall Tour.

The packed Carnegie Hall audience contained many familiar faces including some of the band’s family members and close friends, as well as a bevy of migrating Nashville industry peeps including the band’s management, Sandbox Entertainment head, Jason Owen, and the band’s label exec, UMG Nashville President, Cindy Mabe. Little Big Town’s support in the audience ran beyond that of their excited fans, with industry team members from all aspects of the band’s career making the voyage to New York to enjoy the highly anticipated launch of their new album.

The carefully woven project from Capitol Records Nashville is admittedly one of the band’s most intimate and powerful to date, with sophisticated messages interlaced throughout the project.

Co-writing nine of the album’s 13 tracks, the band has already garnered successful accolades with a 2020 Grammy nomination for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the empowering song, “The Daughters.” The song serves as an inspirational and motivational call for young girls to pursue their passions and believe in themselves regardless of societal expectations of women.

The album’s current single, “Over Drinking,” is a pick-yourself-up and dust off the heartache anthem. The single’s music video stars Michelle Monaghan and takes inspiration from classic films like Urban Cowboy and Thelma & Louise—complete with Stetsons, fringe and a mechanical bull.

Another track from Nightfall, “Sugar Coat,” and its accompanying music video starring Kate Bosworth, tells the story of a forbearing wife and mother whose husband’s continuous philandering proves harder and harder to endure, but is pressured out of the responsibility to her family to keep smiling and wearing her ‘sugar coat.’

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

Easily Little Big Town’s most nuanced project, they didn’t realize initially they were on the verge of producing their ninth studio album. But when Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet, and Jimi Westbrook went into the studio to develop what was there, it wasn’t long before the fiercely musical foursome realized they’d found a new creative horizon—and they just kept going until Nightfall emerged from 34 songs, with a myriad of experiments and the inherent harmony singing that has defined the Grammy-winning group.

“From the first time we sat in the living room, it was amazing that we all gravitated to the harmonies we sing,” explains the sunny-voiced Schlapman. “In 20 years, we really have stayed with the harmonies we settle into organically. We’re all really strong and opinionated, and we’ve always been really involved, but over the years, we’ve become more comfortable with who each of us is.”

“It’s so easy to keep layering guitars on top of each other,” Westbrook says of the sonics. “Every sound is intentional on this record. We’d empty tracks out to create more space. Those spaces let the energy come through. The space allows you to absorb what we’re saying.”

“I’m a dreamer,” Sweet offers. “This music hopefully honors that as musicians in country music. If people can open their hearts and just connect with music in a way that feeds them, makes them feel what they need or want to, then we got it.”

Schlapman boils it down, “This was a journey, and still is. Whether you’re going to the mountains, or the beach, even sitting in your living room with a glass of wine, this record is an experience. It will take you through so many places in life, hopefully sink in, and take you where you need to go, or give you what you’re looking to find.”

Fairchild adds, “The sequence is deliberate to take you through the romance of Nightfall… the questions we have when we’re alone, the joy and the frolic of love and friendship, and the strength to overcome.”

Little Big Town performs at Carnegie Hall on January 16, 2020. Photo: MusicRow.

Listen to Nightfall here.https://strm.to/Nightfall

Nightfall Track Listing:
1. Next To You (Hillary Reynolds, Michael Jade, Trevor Jarvis)
2. Nightfall (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Fancy Hagood)
3. Forever And A Night (Karen Fairchild, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Foy Vance)
4. Throw Your Love Away (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Hillary Lindsey, Liz Rose, Lori McKenna)
5. Over Drinking (Carey Barlowe, Jesse Frasure, Ashley Gorley, Steph Jones, Hillary Lindsey)
6. Wine, Beer, Whiskey (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
7. Questions (Karen Fairchild, Jon Green, Sara Haze)
8. The Daughters (Karen Fairchild, Sean McConnell, Ashley Ray)
9. River Of Stars (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
10. Sugar Coat (Josh Kerr, Jordyn Shellhart, Lori McKenna)
11. Problem Child (Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, Phillip Sweet, Sean McConnell, Tofer Brown)
12. Bluebird (Karen Fairchild, Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk)
13. Trouble With Forever (Jason Saenz, Marc Beeson, Sara Haze)

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Sherod Robertson

Sherod Robertson is President and Owner of MusicRow Enterprises. He oversees all operations and develops strategic initiatives for MusicRow magazine, RowFax, and MusicRow's CountryBreakout chart. Robertson previously served as Director of Finance of Arista Records after beginning his career as Vice President of Finance and CFO at Reunion Records.

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