New Sister Hazel Album Coming Next Week

"Heartland Highway" reflects a rootsy journey for both the band and the listeners and has 12 tracks. The first single, "Stay Awhile," will go to Hot A/C and Triple A radio in mid-September.

Beres describes the album as "American road trip music" ("listening to it is what it feels like to be on a road trip across America") while Copeland suggests, "It's one of those discs you can put on and listen to front to back." Concurs Block: "We spend a lot of time on journeys as a band � literally and figuratively. We spend a lot of time out on the highway together. We have a ton of stuff behind us with a really rich history, and we have been through an awful lot of things together. Yet we keep looking ahead, down the road, to what's next." Echoing these sentiments, the disc ebbs and flows between rockin' tracks and more poignant numbers, a collection that all band members agree is their most diverse-sounding disc. Although the album is awash in the Sister Hazel signature mix of Southern pop hooks and country rock harmonies, "there are a lot of moments that have never been in Sister Hazel songs before," notes Newell, adding, "We strive to give our audience something different each time. I feel like we are stepping into our heyday."

To put together "Heartland Highway," the band was geographically all over the map: they again gathered for pre-production at a Gainesville rehearsal studio that they have used for years and then headed up to record in Nashville. Additional recording took place at Newell's home studio in Atlanta while Copeland and Block did their vocals in Gainesville, at both their favorite Best Western (also used on "Release") and at a condo by nearby Crescent Beach. The band continued their collaboration with Nashville-based engineer Chip Matthews, whom they consider something of a sixth member of the band, and they also utilized the expertise of Nashville guitar aces Pat Buchanan and Tom Bukovac while welcoming back old pal harmonica player Rob Peck, who played on their first album.

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