Zac Brown Band – Uncaged (2012)

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Within the past 4 years, the Zac Brown Band has become the most consistent band in country music, delivering hit after hit and jaw-dropping performance after performance. They have created a sound and image that is completely their own and shaken things up in Nashville for the better. It’s no surprise, then, that their newest and appropriately titled effort, Uncaged, is a fantastic addition to their short but very sweet discography.

Lead singer and mastermind Zac Brown has referred to the album as “your basic country-Southern rock-bluegrass-reggae-jam record.” While that may be a long winded way to describe the album, it is entirely accurate. While the instrumentation and songwriting are definitely rooted in country music, the band continues its fearless foray into the world outside of the country sound. The perfect summer tune “Island Song” would be perfectly at home on a straight up reggae album while “Goodbye in Her Eyes” could have been a hit for a rock band like The Eagles 30 years ago. Lead (and rising hit) single “The Wind” recalls hints of bluegrass musicians like Ricky Skaggs in its precise, intricate instrumentation. “Overnight” is a sexy R&B tune and “Natural Disaster” is a jingly, jam band song. The album even features guest performances by non-country artists Trombone Shorty and Amos Lee.

These influences mesh together perfectly together, though. A lesser band would not be able to pull these songs off at all, but the Zac Brown Band are masters of their craft at this point in their career. They successfully corral all of these sounds into a cohesive album. As diverse as it sounds and looks on paper, Uncaged is the band’s strongest album yet, with emphasis on the word ‘album’. The songwriting is great, the production is perfect and the songs work and play off of one another effortlessly from start to finish. Uncaged is the portrait of a band in full possession of its artistic power. Long live the Zac Brown Band.

You can pre-order your copy of Uncaged from iTunes by clicking here.  For those of you who can’t wait until the release on July 10th, we have good news for you.  Mark your calendars because iTunes will hold an Uncaged full stream listening party on July 3.