Uncaged

Uncaged, The Zac Brown Band’s third studio album hit the shelves on July 10, 2012. It is the first release from the band since they put out You Get What You Give in 2010. The album, like its predecessor, landed itself on the top of the Billboard Hot 200 during the first week of sales. However, something sets Uncaged apart from Zac Brown Band’s previous two albums. Band member Clay Cook describes the band’s first two releases as simply “collections of songs,” whereas Uncaged is an “album” (1). That being said, this CD is best listened to from start to finish, rather than jumping from track to track.

The album kicks things off with “Jump Right In,” a song that will put your mind on vacation in the Bahamas. Title track “Uncaged” only adds to the collection of Jimmy Buffet style lyrics. The beginning of the album continues to flare with upbeat ocean music. Zac Brown sings a deeper mood with the slow paced radio hit “Goodbye In Her Eyes.” Bob Marley and Bacardi are sung of on the reggae-country-rock tune “Island Song.” What you can really see in the first half of Uncaged is where Zac Brown Band is branching their country roots outward. Zac Brown himself referred to the new album as: “your basic Country-Southern rock-bluegrass-reggae-jam record” (2). The album continues to amaze right through the next few tracks. “Natural Disaster” starts off with a slow pace that develops into an upbeat country jam. The last two songs on the record “Day That I Die” and “Last but Not Least,” are filled with rich chords and deep country lyrics.

You can clearly see how much Zac Brown Band has changed since their first album years ago. Uncaged is filled with a variety of songs all with roots in different areas of music. Quite the opposite of the band’s first album The Foundation, filled with mostly bluegrass-country style music. Experimenting with new sounds can be a good thing for any group, but an act like the Zac Brown Band will always stay true to their down home roots.

Overall: 7/10

Sources: 

(1) http://tasteofcountry.com/zac-brown-band-uncaged-album-details/

(2) http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20120425/wire/120429730?tc=ar