Little Big Town "Sober" Single Review

     Little Big Town's 2012 album Tornado was one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.  Little Big Town always put out pretty good music, and their harmony is unparalleled.  But, after the annoying but catchy song "Pontoon"became the mega hit of the summer, I expected an album full of party-anthems to keep Little Big Town on the mainstream radar.  Instead, they stuck to their guns and released a mainstream album full of songs of substance like "Your Side of The Bed", "Tornado", "Can't Go Back", Night Owl", and the excellent new single, "Sober".

     By title, "Sober" could be anything from a party song to a ballad about struggling with alcoholism.  The last thing I expected was a love song.  Sure, comparing love to drunkenness is a analogy we've heard before, but the song still comes across as clever and fresh.  Maybe all of the half-witted cliches we normally hear on the radio has me so yearning for anything different on the radio that something that has been done before sounds so original, but that's not a bad thing here.  The song is inspiring and uplifting.  Not all songs have to be sad songs of misery, even if those are my favorites.  Little Big Town is simply full of love right now.  They are finally getting the credit and status they worked hard to achieve and wholeheartedly deserve, they are riding a huge wave of momentum, and most importantly, they are all happy, with love and marriages and babies. If anybody has a right to sing sappy love songs, its Little Big Town right now.
   
     This song has a pleasant melody that is instantly sing-alongable and catchy.  The accompaniment is light and bouncy, with a distinctive country feel to it.  One of my favorite aspects of this song is that Kimberly Schlapman takes lead vocals.  I love Karen Fairchild's voice as well, but she usually takes lead on the female led singles Little Big Town releases.  I love the higher register Kimberly uses when she sings, and it fits this song perfectly.  LBT has two very talented women, and its nice to hear them both represented.  Of course, Jimi Westbrook and Phillip Sweet add perfect layers of harmony to create the big, bold sound that Little Big Town is known for.

     "Sober" isn't going to be their "career song" or define Little Big Town.  It doesn't have that "wow" factor some of their other songs have had that pull it to the front.  However, it is a very good song and one of the best on radio right now.  Tornado is full of great songs like this.  "Sober" will continue to build credibility and momentum for this band to keep growing.  Little Big Town and their tight, beautiful harmonies is one of the best bands in country music, and "Sober" is a great example why.