Zac Brown / Zac Band Brown - Pass the Jar: Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta CD

Pass the Jar: Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta album for sale Those who find the pairing of '70s rock god Robert Plant with contemporary bluegrass queen Alison Krauss unlikely have probably not been paying attention to Plant's latter-day work, which is full of intimate, acoustic-flavored balladry. While the organic-sounding, low-key Plant/Krauss collaboration, RAISING SAND, is a far cry from Led Zeppelin's stadium rock, it offers up some hauntingly moody textures that should appeal to "Battle of Evermore" admirers. Consisting mostly of sagely chosen cover tunes, the album finds Plant and Krauss bringing their warm-but-eerie harmonies to everything from Townes Van Zandt's nihilistic folk poetry ("Nothin'") to the crumbled beauty of latter-day Tom Waits ("Trampled Rose"). Determined not to rest on their laurels or cater to expectations, the 59-year-old icon and his junior partner craft a subtle and intriguing sound built on their shared love of folk forms and gift for interpretation, bringing to light esoteric gems by late Byrds visionary Gene Clark and the Everly Brothers along the way as well.

Pass the Jar: Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta CD music Recording information: Brighter Shade Studio, Atlanta, GA; Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; The Sound Station Nashville, TN; Wedgewood Sound. Photographer: C. Taylor Crothers. Personnel: Brent Mason (electric guitar); Greenwood Hart (accordion, keyboards); Gary Prim (keyboards); Marcus Petruska (drums, background vocals). Audio Mixer: John Kelton.

Pass the Jar: Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta buy CD music Lady Antebellum prefaced the release of Need You Now by issuing its title track as a single; it reached the top spot on the country charts and stayed there for five straight weeks. It was their second number one, and they wasted no time following it with "American Honey," which appeared a mere two months before this set was in stores. This singing/songwriting trio -- lead vocalists Charles Kelly and Hillary Scott, with multi-instrumentalist and backing vocalist Dave Haywood -- understand how Nashville works, and they know how to work it. On their sophomore effort, they stick very close to the formula of their debut: a slew of mid- and uptempo love songs, a sad ballad, and a couple of rocked-up good-time tunes, all self-written with some help from some of Nashville's most respected writers. Kelly's baritone is emotive, expressive, and deep in the pocket, no matter what he's singing. He shines on the soft rocking "Love This Pain," which could have been a single. Scott's voice is a little less distinctive, but she does possess a unique form of phrasing and reaches deeply into her protagonist's personal situations, whether it's the celebratory good-time girl in "American Honey" or the wildly-in-love mature woman on "Hold on Tight." The group party anthem on the set -- an obligatory addition these days -- is "Stars Tonight," which contains more than a few clichés, but has a killer guitar riff and an infectious chorus. With co-production from Paul Worley, Lady Antebellum prove there is no sophomore slump on Need You Now. Here, the band's seamless, polished, and savvy brand of contemporary country is even more consistent than it was on their debut; it's virtually flawless in its songwriting, production, and performance. ~ Thom Jurek Audio Mixer: Clarke Schleicher. Recording information: Quad Studios, Nashville, TN; Warner Studios; Warner Studios, Nashville, TN. Photographer: Miranda Penn Turin.

Pass the Jar: Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta songs The studio follow-up to The Foundation, You Get What You Give features songs that the band honed on tour, and the result is a nice mixture of loose jams built around thoughtfully worked-out arrangements. Recording information: 800 East Studios, Atlanta, GA; After 7 Studios, Mechanicsburg, PA; FLCC Studios, Canandaigua, NY; Loud Recording Studios, Nashville, TN; Shrimpboat Sound, Key West, FL; The Sound Station; Wedgewood Sound. Photographers: Thomas R. Bledsoe; Jeffrey Skillings; Alex Martinez . Personnel: Zac Brown Band (vocals, guitar); Clay Cook (vocals, guitar, piano); Zac Brown (vocals, guitar); Jimmy de Martini (vocals, violin); John Hopkins (vocals); Coy Bowles (guitar); Chris Fryar (drums). Audio Mixer: John Kelton.

Pass the Jar: Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta album for sale The Zac Brown Band's third major-label studio album, Uncaged, is the first with new member percussionist Daniel de los Reyes, and features guest spots from Amos Lee and Trombone Shorty, as well as songs co-written with Jason Mraz and fellow Southern Ground artists Nic Cowan and Sonia Leigh. The album, conceived and recorded as a whole, and not just as a collection of songs, was tracked at various Southern studios in Atlanta; Nashville; Asheville, North Carolina; and Key West, Florida. Recording information: 800 East, Atlanta, GA; Brighter Shade Studios, Atlanta, GA; Echo Mountain Recording, Asheville, NC; Fudge Recording Studios, New Orleans, LA; Loud Recording, Nashville, TN; Sear Sound, New York, NY; Shrimpboat Sound Studio, Key West, FL; The Crows Nest, Smyrna, GA; The Sound Station, Nashville, TN; The Workshop, Nashville, TN. Photographer: Cole Cassell. Personnel: Clay Cook (vocals, guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes piano); Zac Brown (vocals, guitar); Jimmy de Martini (vocals, violin); John Driskell Hopkins (vocals); Coy Bowles (guitar, resonator guitar); Chris Fryar (drums); Daniel de los Reyes (percussion). Audio Mixer: John Kelton.

Pass the Jar: Live from the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta CD music The studio follow-up to The Foundation, You Get What You Give features songs that the band honed on tour, and the result is a nice mixture of loose jams built around thoughtfully worked-out arrangements. Recording information: 800 East Studios, Atlanta, GA; After 7 Studios, Mechanicsburg, PA; FLCC Studios, Canandaigua, NY; Loud Recording Studios, Nashville, TN; Shrimpboat Sound, Key West, FL; The Sound Station; Wedgewood Sound. Photographers: Thomas R. Bledsoe; Jeffrey Skillings; Alex Martinez . Personnel: Zac Brown Band (vocals, guitar); Clay Cook (vocals, guitar, piano); Zac Brown (vocals, guitar); Jimmy de Martini (vocals, violin); John Hopkins (vocals); Coy Bowles (guitar); Chris Fryar (drums). Audio Mixer: John Kelton.