“Well you know I love my chicken fried…” and I am really lovin’ the new project by Zac Brown Band. The first time I heard of the ZBB, was from a friend who saw them in Nashville before “Chicken fried” was released. (It caught my attention since my son’s name is Zach Brown) So of course I checked them out and immediately felt the connection to their music.
In a press release for their recent project it explains “The Zac Brown Band and Cracker Barrel join together to put out an exclusive version of The Foundation, which includes three previously unreleased tracks and will be available in Cracker Barrel stores only on September 7th. In addition to the band’s two #1 songs, “Chicken Fried” and “Whatever It Is,” you will find live versions of “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “I Lost It” and “I Shall Be Released.” AND, beginning in early October, Cracker Barrel will also be introducing “Southern Ground Grub,” Zac Brown’s own food line featuring his spice rub and a “Brown Sauce” that are his own recipes he has shared with his family and friends through the years, as well as a cookbook of Zac’s recipes.
As if the project wasn’t enough they are going to have something to eat! The music on this release is an instant favorite. Zac and his band give the listener a great variety of southern rock-a-billy music. They were a summer favorite with “Chicken Fried” but that is only the beginning. The ZBB has a soulful fiddle in the intro to “Free” that just grabs at the heart strings and then takes you deeper into the lyrics of a love story. The live tracks create a feeling of hearing the band in an intimate setting. In “The night they drove old Dixie down” they take an old song and make it better with meatier vocals than the original recording.
Throughout the album, the ZBB provides a solid mix that the listener would have put together on a playlist. They have a pure sound, both vocally and the instrumentals, which create classics instantly. It is a strong blend of americana, rebel, and country music. Zac Brown Band has a great future ahead of them,( the likes of Alabama and Rascal Flatts) and we will all be singing along with them “and the radio up”!
