LBT, Giddens, Watson drop new sounds

Little Big Town got off to a fine start with "The Breaker," as its lead single "Better Man" hit the top of the chart. The song was penned by Taylor Swift. The next single is "When Someone Stops Loving You." "The Breaker" is the band's eighth studio release. The band had a hand in writing 3 of the 12 songs. Ace songwriter Lori McKenna helped on five of the songs. All four band members have lead vocals with Karen Fairchild assuming the lead on half of the songs.

Giddens, who had first gained acclaim with the Carolina Chocolate Drops, remains on her own with "Freedom Highway." The dozen-song disc describes the African-American experience in America. Giddens closes with "Freedom Highway," the Staples Singers' song.

Watson is a veteran of the Texas music scene, but made a big move career-wise with his 2015 release, "Underdog," which hit number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Album charts despite being an indie release. "Vaquero" is a 16-song set that goes from Texas dyed-in-the-wool country to more contemporary sounds.

Veteran band Old 97s are out with "Graveyard Whistling," which mixes their country beats and alt.-country/rock sounds. Rhett Miller handled the writing with some assist from Brandi Carlile, who guests on the disc as well.

Scott H. Biram veers towards the blues, but he maintains a country/roots quotient on "The Bad Redemption," his sixth for Bloodshot and 10th overall.