Zac Brown Band

Writing agreeably cheesy pop-country songs with the aw-shuckiest of them apparently wasn’t enough for Atlanta’s Zac Brown: His 2008 album, The Foundation, slyly works in strong whiffs of Jimmy Buffett and reggae, and Brown has a culinary sideline to his music, packaging pre-orders of his 2010 album You Get What You Give with a bottle of his own “signature spice rub.” To his credit, Brown branches out in ways that tend to strengthen his friendly vibe rather than sour it; the new record features guests like Alan Jackson assisting with the band’s reliably smooth and solid melding of country, bluegrass, and pop musicianship. 

Updated 08/24/2011