Smith & Myers, das sind bekanntlich die dicken Freunde und Shinedown-Bandkollegen Brent Smith und Zach Myers, die akustische Versionen eigener und gecoverter Songs performen. Am 9. Oktober wird mit "Smith & Myers Volume 1" ein ganzes Album der Musiker erscheinen, das von Grammy-Gewinner und langjährigen Wegbegleiter Dave Bassett produziert wurde. Nach den 2014 veröffentlichten EPs "Acoustic Sessions, Part 1" und "Acoustic Sessions, Part 2" ist es das Debütalbum des Duos.

Der Vorbote "Not Mad Enough" wird begleitet von einem Musikvideo. Der Song entstand in den Nachwehen des gewaltsamen Todes von George Floyd und setzt sich mit eindringlichen Worten dafür ein, im Kampf gegen Rassismus endlich mehr als nur leere Worthülsen zu verbreiten: "Stop tellin' me I gotta calm down / You're not mad enough / You're not mad enough / How many heads are gonna have to hit the ground? / Before you wake up", singt Brent Smith im Refrain des Songs über eine reduzierte akustische Gitarre. Auch die Interpretation von Neil Youngs sozialkritischem Plädoyer "Rockin' In The Free World" (1989) passt sehr gut in unsere Zeit. Hier singt Smith über eine Pianomelodie.

Brent Smith sagt über das kommende Album: "We’ve spent a great deal of time and energy making sure this project is completely authentic. The main reason Smith & Myers exists has to do with the fans. A project that was born from multiple requests over the years has now evolved into its true identity. Make no mistake - it’s about the songs, it’s about the story, and above all it’s about the message".

Zach Myers kommentiert: "It was an odd time to make a record at the beginning of a global pandemic, but the state of the world is reflected in the art we made on this album. It was some of the most creative times I’ve ever had as a musician or a songwriter. For the covers, we felt that we should approach them as a duo as if we had written the song modern day. With the originals, Brent and I had never discussed some of this subject matter before and we dug so deep while also touching on a world that’s rapidly changing around us the last eight months. We felt it would be disingenuous not to touch on social issues we ALL face as humans. We put a lot into this album and we truly hope you enjoy listening to it".

"Smith & Myers" Tracklisting

1. Not Mad Enough
2. Rockin’ In The Free World
3. The Weight of It All
4. Better Now
5. Panic
6. Never Tear Us Apart
7. Coast To Coast
8. Valerie
9. Since You Were Mine
10. Unchained Melody