Where Have You Gone

by Alan Jackson

Overview

Where Have You Gone is the kind of album a veteran artist releases after taking an extended break, a record so stuffed to the brim with new material it can seem like a bit of a flex of strength. Alan Jackson doesn't really do grand gestures, though. He specializes in subtlety and ease, qualities he hardly abandons on Where Have You Gone, a double album that arrives nearly a full six years after his slow-burning Angels and Alcohol. What distinguishes Where Have You Gone is its sheer heft. Jackson doesn't branch out into new territory; rather, he touches upon every one of his signatures: sentimental ballads with an undercurrent of faith, drinking tunes, snappy country-rockers, songs about family, bittersweet memories, and a tip of the hat to his idols. He wrote the lion's share of the 21 songs on Where Have You Gone -- a notable exception is an affecting cover of the late Merle Haggard's "That's the Way Love Goes," available on the deluxe edition of the album -- and it's striking how sturdy they are, both individually and as a collective. Perhaps they feel cozy, yet their familiarity winds up as an attribute: Jackson knows himself so well as a singer and songwriter that he doesn't shy from his strengths, he writes songs to showcase his smooth, supple voice and love of old-fashioned country. The simplicity of his goals means Where Have You Gone might seem a bit modest even at its oversized length, but that's also its charm. Jackson isn't flashy, he's reliable, a quality that turns out to be a virtue as he glides into his fourth decade as a recording artist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	05/14/2021
Label:	Snakefarm Records
UPC:	0602435716077
Rank:	27847

Tracks

1. Where Have You Gone
2. Wishful Drinkin'
3. I Can Be That Something
4. Where the Cottonwood Grows
5. Way Down in My Whiskey
6. Things That Matter
7. Livin' on Empty
8. You'll Always Be My Baby [Written for Daughters' Weddings]
9. Where Her Heart Has Always Been [Written for Momma's Funeral With an Old Recording of Her Reading From the Bible]
10. The Boot
11. Back
12. Write It in Red
13. So Late So Soon
14. This Heart of Mine
15. A Man Who Never Cries
16. Chain
17. I Was Tequila
18. I Do [Written for Daughters' Weddings]
19. Beer:10
20. The Older I Get

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Alan Jackson   Primary Artist,Vocals
Brad Guin   Saxophone,Vocals (Background)
Travis Humbert   Vocals (Background)
Gary Prim   Organ,Piano,Keyboards,Wurlitzer
J.T. Corenflos   Guitar (Electric)
John Kelton   Bass,Vocals (Background)
Sammy Shelor   Banjo
Roy Agee   Trombone,Vocals (Background)
Brent Mason   Guitar (Acoustic),Guitar (Electric),Gut String Guitar,Guitar (Nylon String)
Glenn Worf   Bass
Alecia Nugent   Vocals (Background)
Dave Pomeroy   Bass,Bass (Vocal)
Scotty Sanders   Dobro,Guitar (Steel)
Vincent Ciesielski   Trumpet,Vocals (Background)
John Wesley Ryles   Vocals (Background)
Rob McNelley   Guitar (Electric)
Tania Hancheroff   Vocals (Background)
Stuart Duncan   Fiddle,Mandolin
Paul Franklin   Guitar (Steel)
Keith Stegall   Organ,Piano,Hand Drums,Percussion,Gut String Guitar,Vocals (Background),Guitar (Nylon String)
Bruce Watkins   Guitar (Acoustic)
Eddie Bayers   Drums
Robbie Flint   Dobro

Technical Credits

Jason Campbell   Production Coordination
Sarah Turner   Composer
Travis Humbert   Engineer,Assistant,Recording,Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Hailey Whitters   Composer
Wes Sheffield   Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Spencer Coats   Recording
Debbie Doebler   Management
Lefty Frizzell   Composer
John Kelton   Mixing,Engineer,Mastering,Recording,Mixing Engineer
Whitey Shafer   Composer
Scotty Emerick   Composer
Michael White   Composer
Sarah Buxton   Composer
Adam Wright   Composer
Alan Jackson   Composer,Art Direction
Daniel Tashian   Composer
Sarah Marie Burke   A&R
Kera Jackson   Art Producer
Gregory Ballos   Cover Photo
Ted Jensen   Mastering Engineer
Keith Stegall   Composer,Producer
Katherine Petillo   Design
Harold Thompson   Assistant,Recording
Russ Harrington   Cover Photo