Zac Brown Band became stars in the late 2000s on the strength of the number one country hits "Chicken Fried" and "Toes," songs that seemed like throwbacks to the country-rock of the '70s. For a while, ZBB continued in that vein, scoring another breezy, beachy hit with "Knee Deep" and underscoring their '70s singer/songwriter heritage with the warm, burnished ballad "Colder Weather," but soon the group proved themselves to be a restless jam band, as eager to crank up the amps as they were to ride a supple groove. This sense of musical adventure led Zac Brown Band to cut both a 2014 EP with Foo Fighters rocker Dave Grohl and to dive deep into pop music on 2019's The Owl, yet these creative instincts also helped the group cultivate a loyal following who were happy to roll with these changes.
Moving to BMG, the Zac Brown Band released The Owl in September 2019. Recorded with a variety of splashy big-budget producers, The Owl debuted at two upon its September 20, 2019 release. A week after The Owl appeared, Zac Brown surprised his fans with the release of The Controversy, his debut solo album; it was recorded with many of the same producers as The Owl.
