In June 2023, Anderson East and his band decided to head to Dave Cobb's new Savannah studio, without agenda. There were no expectations, no labels, no sense that a record had to be made. Worthy blooms from that lack of pressure, from the freedom it afforded. After recording with Cobb, Anderson took the results back home to Nashville and dove in alone. He recorded his own vocals and used some of the digital know-how he'd harnessed on his prior LP to augment his analogue loves. He deliberately left space for accidents and magic, often taking days-long breaks from tracks so as not to overwork them. These 10 tracks radiate that new conviction, and they simply feel good to hear, even as Anderson grapples with darkness and near-defeat. So much of this album, though, feels like a love letter, borne of gratitude and acceptance. Indeed, Anderson made Worthy on his own terms, with its Muscle Shoals radiance, soulful horns, and interior lyrics a portrait of the artist he has become. But it is also a portrait of the person he has become, capable of seeing his past as a gateway to a present of love and happiness, of someone worthy of those things. Worthy is a reintroduction to Anderson East, more confident and commanding than ever now that he knows there is nothing to prove. The new album 'Worthy' is out everywhere now.
