Everything We Know About Zac Brown Band’s New Album, ‘Welcome Home’
It's been two years since the Zac Brown Band released their well-received, but genre-bending, album Jekyll + Hyde, and the Southern rock outfit is set for an epic return in 2017, with not just a new record but a massive tour as well.
Aptly titled Welcome Home, ZBB's fifth studio album will bring the band back to their roots and is likely to delight longtime fans and new listeners alike. Below, The Boot has rounded up all of the details known so far about the Zac Brown Band’s forthcoming new disc.
The Title
Zac Brown Band's new album will be called Welcome Home, presumably in reference to the group's decision to return to the sounds of their earlier music -- specifically, to that of their first major-label album, The Foundation.
“We’re going in this winter to make a brand-new ZBB record, straight back to our roots, Foundation-style,” frontman Zac Brown said in a video posted to Instagram in September of 2016. “It’s going to be an amazing album, we’re very excited to announce to you that we’re making the new one, and thank you again for everything that you do for us.”
The Release Date
Welcome Home is scheduled to be released on May 12. Its drop date coincides with the launch of ZBB's 2017 Welcome Home Tour (more details on that below!).
The Record Label
Welcome Home will be released through Warner Music Group, on Southern Ground / Elektra Records. It will be the Zac Brown Band’s first album with the label; previously, they’ve spent time on Atlantic and Big Machine, releasing all records since 2010’s You Get What You Give on their own Southern Ground imprint..
The Album Cover
On Jan. 30, Zac Brown Band shared their Welcome Home album cover via social media. The band's name appears in a burgundy-and-gold script on a back background, surrounded by swirls of burgundy and a gold frame. The album's name appears at the bottom on a gold nameplate.
The Producers
Dave Cobb produced Welcome Home.
The Single
On Feb. 3, the Zac Brown Band dropped "My Old Man," Welcome Home's first single, and fans who have criticized the band’s deviation from their original country sound will be pleased to hear the tune’s simple, nothin’-but-country melody. The song is soft and sentimental, accompanied by a sweet lyric video that's a scrapbook full of photos of the ZBB members and their fathers.
“My old man / Feel the callous on his hands / And dusy overalls,” Zac Brown Band sing, with their impeccable harmonies, in the chorus of “My Old Man.” “My old man / Now I finally understand / I have a lot to learn / From my old man.”
"My Old Man" is anchored by a simple guitar line, accented largely by Jimmy De Martini’s fiddle; a behind-the-scenes clip shows the band in the studio with producer Cobb.
The Songs
In terms of Welcome Home's sound, Brown tells Rolling Stone that the band "went back to being very minimalistic." Songs called "Start Over" and "All the Best" -- the latter of which features Kacey Musgraves -- were recorded in just one take.
"We just went into the studio and captured what we do," Brown adds. "Normally, we have pre-production for a week, and we work out all the harmonies then. We just did it on the spot this time."
Zac Brown Band, Welcome Home Track Listing:
1. "Roots"
2. "Real Thing"
3. "Long Haul"
4. "2 Places at 1 Time"
5. "Family Table"
6. "My Old Man"
7. "Start Over"
8. "Your Majesty"
9. "Tryin' to Drive"
10. "All the Best"
The Tour
Zac Brown Band's 2017 Welcome Home Tour will kick off on May 12. ZBB will play more than 40 shows across North America through the end of October.
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