Zac Brown Band : ‘The Comeback (Deluxe)’ – Album Review

Zac Brown Band’s new album, The Comeback (Deluxe) is out now, September 30th on all streaming platforms. Take a listen and read our full review below.

Zac Brown Band has been one of the most successful country acts for the past fifteen years, spawning fourteen number-one singles and three GRAMMY awards during that span. After their sixth studio album, The Owl received mixed reviews due to its varying sound, the group returned to their roots with The Comeback in 2021. Today, the deluxe version contains the original fifteen tracks plus six songs from the record featuring artists such as Cody Johnson, Blake Shelton, Ingrid Andress, James Taylor, Jamey Johnson, and Jimmy Buffet. 

Zac Brown Band re-released “Out in the Middle” and “Wild Palomino” with Shelton and Johnson, respectively, in the summer, giving listeners a taste of what to look forward to with the deluxe. The four other tracks Zac Brown Band reimagined with features include “Any Day Now,” “Love and Sunsets,” “Stubborn Pride,” and their latest number-one, “Same Boat.”

“Any Day Now” describes the story of a relationship on the rocks where the woman tells the man that she is going to walk out on him any day now, to which he replies ‘I’m going to change my ways any day now.’ Unfortunately for him, the former came before the latter and he never got his chance to make it up to her. Andress’ ‘sad-girl’ persona makes her the perfect artist to duet with. She provides vocals on the second verse and chorus and harmonies with Brown during the song’s finale. The woman’s perspective makes this ballad even more emotional than the original. 

“Told you all the things that I had enough of // And you swore you were gonna change // Any day now make up for the heartache // Any day now but I couldn’t wait // Judging by the screen door slam and these taillights fading outta town // Guess it’s any day now”

Zac Brown Band hailed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, James Taylor to feature on the romantic and appreciative “Love and Sunsets.” The singer doesn’t have a lot of money to his name, but luckily for him, she doesn’t need a mansion, expensive truck, and diamond rings; love and sunsets are free and that’s good enough for them. “Love and Sunsets” was already a simple song sonically, but the new recording is broken down to the point where Brown, an acoustic guitar, and Taylor’s backing vocals are all you hear, emphasizing the moral of ‘you don’t need a lot to be happy in life.’

 Jamey Johnson joins Brown and Marcus King on the “Stubborn Pride” re-recording. This story is about a man who finally finds true love and settles down. The slow, acoustic vibe highlights the raw emotion in Brown’s and Johnson’s voices. The electric guitar solo in the bridge brings added excitement to the blues-influenced country tune.

Zac Brown Band and Jimmy Buffett paired up and created the number-one hit, “Knee Deep,” and eleven years later, they reunite to re-record “Same Boat.” This fun song reminds us that we are all going through life together trying to make sense of everything going on—we need to learn how to be patient, work together, and agree to disagree. Buffett was a great choice for this upbeat island-tune.

Whether inside or outside the genre, it is always exciting to see major artists collaborate on music. Zac Brown Band is big enough that they don’t need help from other artists to sell records and generate streams, but the output on this project sure is special.