Little Big Town photo by James Minchin III, courtesy of Capitol Nashville.

What is "The Reason Why" some bands survive and thrive? It is not likely one thing, but many. In the case of Little Big Town, the reasons are plenty. They have sold over 1.5 million records and garnered 3 Grammy nominations, including The Road to Here’s nomination for album of the year. CMA and ACM nominations have arrived in abundance. Critical acclaim and end of year "best" lists have been copious.

But this is a band with a history. A band that has always put music first? and that is the biggest reason of all. The music is the reason for the accolades. The music is the reason they survived three record label changes and personal tragedy. The music is the reason that the band has collaborated with a wide range of other respected artists from multiple genres. The music is the reason four people with families, leave home to work and travel tirelessly. It is with this clarity of vision and purpose that the band entered the studio to record their fourth album, confidently titled The Reason Why.

While they've never been afraid to break new musical ground, the band truly had no bounds in the studio this time around. From the heartland country rock of the title cut to the groovy mountain soul of lead single "Little White Church" and the stone country in the ballad "Can't Have Everything," there is a creative hunger and renewed energy evident on each track. It all started with the band's approach, says Little Big Town's Phillip Sweet.

"For the first time, we were able to take off the road and really focus on making a record. It was an amazing creative time for the band. There's a lot of push and pull that goes into making music, we believe that's what makes it interesting."

Though that extra time in the studio led to new sonic territory on tracks like the soaring "Kiss Goodbye," the qualities that make up the signature Little Big Town sound remain intact. Namely, that trademark harmony.

"The harmony is the common thread through the record," notes Karen Fairchild. "It's always going to be about the harmony. It doesn't matter if the textures behind us on the record change. We're always trying to do something different, not just for the fans, but for us to be inspired."

That inspiration comes bound to very high standards though. For every song that made the album, two to three were scrapped because they just didn't make all four of them sit up and take notice. While those multi-dimensional harmonies form the heart of the Little Big Town sound, the exact ingredients of what makes a song work for the band is defined by their years together and the intangible magic that makes them who they are.

"There is a knowing. We kinda know when it's hit that marker for us," explains Phillip.

Achieving that level of personal satisfaction became a call the band had the luxury of answering on The Reason Why. "It truly is about the pure love of music and feeling connected to the lyrics we're writing." Phillip adds. "That's the whole point. If it didn't get us to that place, it didn't make the record."