This great country band’s tender tribute marks a return to their authentic roots

Screen shot from Zac Brown Band's lyric video for "My Old Man."

It’s natural for artists to go through an evolution. Every living thing evolves and changes, but every great country act never forgets their roots.

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Zac Brown Band has certainly stretched out creatively since they caught national attention in 2008 with their chart-topping hit “Chicken Fried.” And while they’ve played around with their production and sound, they’ve never wandered too far from their rural routes. However, with their upcoming album, “Welcome Home,” they’re going full bore back to the country.

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In a release, “Welcome Home” is also called a return to the band’s debut album, “The Foundation.” Zac says, “This is the most personal album we’ve ever done and we’re very proud of it.”

To show how personal it is, the band has released a lyric video for the first single from the album. “My Old Man” is a stirring tribute to the relationship between fathers and sons, and the video features snapshots of each of the band members with their dads as they go from infancy to adulthood with children of their own. The tune seems particularly poignant for Zac, considering that he and his wife just welcomed their first son, Alexander, in 2014 after having four girls. In fact, you can hear the emotion in Zac’s voice as the song progresses.

“Welcome Home” won’t be available until May 12, but pre-orders have started now and with each order, fans will get an instant download of “My Old Man” — destined to be a Father’s Day favorite.

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You’ll also be able to hear songs from the album live when the band launches their Welcome Home Tour on May 12 in Alpharetta, Georgia. The tour extends into October and includes shows at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, Wrigley Field, the Hollywood Bowl and, of course, their own Southern Ground Music & Food Festival in Charleston, South Carolina on May 20-21.

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