Zac Brown Band- Love & Fear
Label: Master of None
Producer: Zac Brown
After a thrilling trilogy of modern classics (2008’s The Foundation, 2010’s You Get What You Give, and 2012’s Uncaged) that initially established them as both commercial and critical darlings, the past decade has been a bit messy for Zac Brown Band. Whiplashing pivots between their core jam-band sounds and a mixed bag of underrated and outright cringey artistic swings, combined with a fair share of public controversies for their namesake leader, have rendered them as one of the more polarizing acts in the mainstream music media. However, for their loyal fanbase that never felt the need to confine them to the narrow definition of a mainstream country band, things haven’t really been as disastrous as the press always likes to make it to be. Each of their past four albums, though not as cohesive or memorable as their predecessors, offered their fair share of classic ZBB high-points, and they also remain one of the most heralded live acts in music (this album roll-out is centered around a residency at the acclaimed Sphere venue in Las Vegas). Their previous outing, 2021’s The Comeback was just that in terms of their reemergence on country radio, but ironically also seems to have served as their swan song within the commercial country scene, as Love & Fear holds the distinction as their first self-produced and self-released album.
That kind of release from the tethers of the mainstream system might suggest that Zac Brown and his ensemble would use that as an opportunity to take their biggest creative swings yet, a la the eras of Jekyll+Hyde or The Owl. In reality however, the mysterious album cover proves to the most ambitious aspect of Love & Fear. Overall, the body of music collected here is a classically rootsy and cozy ZBB effort, more in tune with that of Welcome Home or The Comeback. All of their adored signatures are present, from Brown’s earnest and ever-resonant vocal purity, to the rich vocal group harmonies, to the rightful display of the group’s sensational musicianship and raw instrumental talent. The ever-evocative violin playing of Jimi De Martini, one of the very best elements of their classic records and one of the unfortunate casualties as they expanded their sound, feels as joyously prominent as it has all decade. Their trademark jam-band tendencies are given an increased opportunity to shine on delightful tracks like “Give It Away”, and although they do dip back into their often-overproduced curiosities on “Animal” and “Can You Hear Me Now”, it thankfully never goes off the rails. Meanwhile, a trifecta of collaborations dutifully illustrates their diversity. Bluesy Southern rocker, Marcus King, appears for the second album in a row to provide brooding support on “Hard Run”, while rap-legend Snoop Dogg guests on the charmingly harmless and very country pot-romp, “Let It Run”. Finally, the great Dolly Parton provides a full-on duet with Brown on the tender “Butterfly”; it glows as one of Parton’s most impressive vocals in recent years and the sweet-spot tapped into between the two singers is undeniable.
Truthfully, the only quality really holding Love & Fear back from being a true return-to-form for the group is the impact of the songs themselves. And that should not be misconstrued as an opinion that the song-craft on this record is bad. It’s actually engaging and cohesive, and tracks like “The Sum”, “Thank You For Loving Me”, “Passenger”, and “What You Gonna Do” particularly stand out. And the Dave Grohl-co-penned “Nothing’s A Coincidence” thrillingly harkens back to the sound of The Ghrohl Sessions EP from 2013, a full-album-worthy concept that still remains criminally untapped. Ultimately though, these songs just don’t quite reach the striking, long-lasting excellence of band classics like “Highway 20 Ride”, “Colder Weather”, “Day That I Die”, “Leaving Love Behind”, etc. If there were some true centerpieces that surpassed that B+-range into the A-scale, then we’d likely be hailing this record as a newfound touchstone in their catalog.
Nevertheless, this is a refreshingly solid and satisfying record, even if it doesn’t suggest the same longevity or memorable qualities of their very best work. The exaggerated claims that this album serves as another jump-the-shark moment, or even the group’s final nail in the coffin, are very much out-of-touch. The Zac Brown Band remains musically vital, probably moreso than at any other point in the 2020s, and the potential certainly remains for the group to deliver the same caliber of high-water albums from their early years as their new indie-era unfolds. Perhaps we can get Keith Stegall on the horn to produce the next record?
Track Listing:
- “I Ain’t Worried About It” (Zac Brown, John Driskell Hopkins, Chris Gelbuda, Channing Wilson, Chayce Beckham)
- “Hard Run” featuring Marcus King (Brown, Gelbuda)
- “The Sum” (Brown, Lukas Nelson)
- “Let It Run” featuring Snoop Dogg (Brown, Gelbuda, Calvia Broadus, John Wido Makr, Andy Frasco)
- “Animal” (Brown, Jimmy De Martini, Coy Bowles, Dan Auerbach, Ben Simonetti)
- “Butterfly” featuring Dolly Parton (Brown, Auerbach, Sasha Sirota)
- “Give It Away” (Brown, Bear Rinehart)
- “Can You Hear Me Now” (Brown, Gelbuda)
- “Thank You For Loving Her” (Brown, Gelbuda)
- “Come To Me” (Brown, Gelbuda)
- “Nothing’s A Coincidence” (Brown, Dave Grohl, Tenille Townes, Charlie Starr)
- “Passenger” (Brown, Gelbuda, Wilson, Ellis Melillo)
- “What You Gonna Do” (Brown, Wyatt Durette, Jonathan Singleton, Simonetti)
The 706 
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