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Uncaged
Uncaged in Bloomington, MN
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Size: CD
In a sense, it's possible to measure the progress of
the Zac Brown Band
by the magnitude of their guest stars. In 2010, they consolidated the breakthrough of 2008's
Foundation
by enlisting
Jimmy Buffett
and
Alan Jackson
for duets -- elders whose very presence suggested they were passing a torch (although, to be sure,
Buffett
has a far greater pull on
Brown
's sound than
Jackson
). Two years later, it is
who occupy the power position, drafting in peers, not idols, to play alongside. And it is a diverse batch: twee, twiddly
Jason Mraz
co-writes the sprightly opening cut, "Jump Right In," with
Zac
,
Trombone Shorty
colors "Overnight" with some New Orleans funk, and upcoming folk/blues troubadour
Amos Lee
sings on "Day That I Die," each guest representing a different field for
the ZBB
, each suggesting the range of this ever-evolving nominal country band. And at this point,
would fit the grander stages of such worldly, knowing vaguely hippie enclaves as Bonnaroo better than they would a rocking country outlet somewhere in the Deep South. But Southern they are, in sensibility and sound, reflecting not the dusty beer joints and cutthroat honky tonks of the middle of the 20th century but the sports bars and sandy beaches of the present, the kinds of places where the kin of
the Allmans
feel as Southern as the descendants of
George Jones
...and where a bearded soft rock crooner like
Zac Brown
is happy to make evident his debt to
James Taylor
.
's sweeter side isn't hidden here but it's not quite as prominent as it's been in the past, either. He has plenty of soft, crooning melodies but there's a bit of bluegrass and a bit of reggae, a little blues and a lot of rock. Above anything else,
Uncaged
is a
Band album, one that emphasizes the range of this quintet and its elastic interplay. It is the sound of a band operating from a position of considerable strength: they're confident, assured, even playful, having fun bending the rules and blurring boundaries, eager to please but never pandering. It's the rare album that suggests how good the band would be in concert yet still sounds vibrant on record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
the Zac Brown Band
by the magnitude of their guest stars. In 2010, they consolidated the breakthrough of 2008's
Foundation
by enlisting
Jimmy Buffett
and
Alan Jackson
for duets -- elders whose very presence suggested they were passing a torch (although, to be sure,
Buffett
has a far greater pull on
Brown
's sound than
Jackson
). Two years later, it is
who occupy the power position, drafting in peers, not idols, to play alongside. And it is a diverse batch: twee, twiddly
Jason Mraz
co-writes the sprightly opening cut, "Jump Right In," with
Zac
,
Trombone Shorty
colors "Overnight" with some New Orleans funk, and upcoming folk/blues troubadour
Amos Lee
sings on "Day That I Die," each guest representing a different field for
the ZBB
, each suggesting the range of this ever-evolving nominal country band. And at this point,
would fit the grander stages of such worldly, knowing vaguely hippie enclaves as Bonnaroo better than they would a rocking country outlet somewhere in the Deep South. But Southern they are, in sensibility and sound, reflecting not the dusty beer joints and cutthroat honky tonks of the middle of the 20th century but the sports bars and sandy beaches of the present, the kinds of places where the kin of
the Allmans
feel as Southern as the descendants of
George Jones
...and where a bearded soft rock crooner like
Zac Brown
is happy to make evident his debt to
James Taylor
.
's sweeter side isn't hidden here but it's not quite as prominent as it's been in the past, either. He has plenty of soft, crooning melodies but there's a bit of bluegrass and a bit of reggae, a little blues and a lot of rock. Above anything else,
Uncaged
is a
Band album, one that emphasizes the range of this quintet and its elastic interplay. It is the sound of a band operating from a position of considerable strength: they're confident, assured, even playful, having fun bending the rules and blurring boundaries, eager to please but never pandering. It's the rare album that suggests how good the band would be in concert yet still sounds vibrant on record. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
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