Blackberry Smoke have announced the release of You Hear Georgia, a new album that also celebrates the band’s 20th anniversary. The record is due out on May 28, and it’s deeply connected to the Southern rock band’s regional roots.
The 10-track LP is the band’s first since 2018’s Find a Light, which reached No. 3 on the Top Country Albums chart and No. 2 on the Americana/Folk Albums chart. Guest contributors on the album include Warren Haynes, the Black Bettys and Jamey Johnson.
Blackberry Smoke continue to pay homage to the influences of their home state with You Hear Georgia‘s title track, which attempts to reflect both the ups and the downs of the state’s long and complicated history:
“Lyrically, the song is about the South being misunderstood,” singer Charlie Starr says in a statement. “It’s obviously a rough-and-tumble world, and there’s a lot of bad people. But there’s a lot of good people, too.
“It started with the idea of how people might have a preconceived opinion of you because of a thick Southern accent, then expanded into the reality of how some people just seem to have such a hard time getting along, thanks to political or religious views, or simply what part of the country you come from,” he adds.
Blackberry Smoke have a series of live dates lined up, and have tentative plans to continue to do so through the release of You Hear Georgia, though the band is noting that cancellations and postponements may occur due to coronavirus restrictions.
See the track listing and album cover for You Hear Georgia below.
Blackberry Smoke, You Hear Georgia Tracklist:
1. “Live It Down”
2. “You Hear Georgia”
3. “Hey Delilah”
4. “Ain’t the Same”
5. “Lonesome for a Livin’” (feat. Jamey Johnson)
6. “All Rise Again” (feat. Warren Haynes)
7. “Old Enough to Know”
8. “Morningside”
9. “All Over the Road”
10. “Old Scarecrow”
Top 25 Southern Rock Albums: