38 Special, the Southern rockers known for their 1981 hit "Hold On Loosely," haven't released a studio album in over 20 years. Their last one was 2004's Drivetrain, and Stereogum -- which was only two years old at the time -- didn't post about it. Since then, however, 38 Special have continued touring pretty regularly, even amid lineup changes. Now they're about to have some new music to play on tour: Their upcoming album Milestone is set for release this September, and its lead single "All I Haven't Said" is out today.
The goal of Milestone, as frontman Don Barnes says in a press release, was to create "a more modern 38 Special album." Still, they wrote much of the new album with Jim Peterik of the band Survivor, who also co-wrote "Hold On Loosely." They recorded Milestone at Will Turpin's Atlanta studio, with mixing done by hard rock veteran Johnny K. Of the arena-sized anthem "All I Haven't Said," Barnes adds:
That's my throwback to the '60s, inspired by bands like the Searchers. I've always loved that jangling guitar sound and what's old is new again. We just inject more power guitars to it. About a year ago, I was playing some chords while my wife Christine was in the kitchen. She has a musical ear and out of the clear blue she said, "That sounds like it should be called 'All I Haven't Said.'" I was floored! The most perfect title matching what the chords were conveying. She helped craft some lyrics and a storyline and has a songwriting credit on it.
Watch the video for "All I Haven't Said" and see the full Milestone tracklist below.
TRACKLIST:
01 "So Much So Right"
02 "Slightly Controversial" (Feat. Pat Monahan)
03 "All I Haven’t Said"
04 "The Main Thing"
05 "Long Long Train"
06 "Looking For My Life"
07 "Making Up For Lost Time"
08 "Windows of Memories"
09 "The Look"
The self-released Milestone is out 9/19.
