With hit single "Chicken Fried" in heavy radio rotation, Zac Brown and his band of the same name truly introduce themselves in "The Foundation," despite three respectable previous albums. Brown's gifts come best in the fact that he appeals to other genres, without compromising his core. Just as "Free" possesses a climactic opening, built upon Americana-influenced string play, "Chicken Fried" pulls from '90s Rock elements, while other songs hint at Gospel and greater roots-based muses. The Zac Brown Band is musically dynamic, and just as each verse appears intricately written, the music feels rehearsed, heavily-considered, and the three years since the group's last studio album are not unspoken for. "The Foundation" is rich.

The writing is this album's charm. Although he writes primarily of love, home and nostalgia, "The Foundation" refuses to be redundant. "Jolene," one of several album songs dedicated to a woman, sets the singer buying cigarettes in the morning rain prompting a pensive jaunt down memory lane, to an unforgettable woman. The song uses a sparse chorus, as several efforts do, that reminds the listener that while Brown may have scored his first Top 40 hit, the singer hardly pandered his formula to do so. "Chicken Fried," despite its anthem-like chorus, should be recognized for the images used to construct the true sense of home. Hailing from Georgia, Brown's words seem to span a whole culture of Americans, and although his references to towns and highways are specific, like a true artist, he makes it universal.

Produced by Keith Stegall of Alan Jackson fame, this album feels contained-yet-unpredictable. With its vast influence, Brown's delivery keeps genre in tact, although musically, the producer and band seemed to set few limits. Foundation was recorded so that each musician and band-member had a heavy hand in every song, and an album that sounds complex and mosiac-like at home, but made to be performed live. This quintet has arrived, and after a decade of being a group that may have been the center of attention each night on a tour-stop, they now are truly artists, reaching for more than whatever group paid the price of admission.

"The Foundation" is a sweet surprise of 2008. With tours promoted by Live Nation, and a distribution deal with Atlantic Records, it's safe to assume that this music will be treated differently, now with its major backers. However, as skeptics can point to numerous occurrences when the recording industry made stars out of novices, the Zac Brown Band has the track record to prove their dues are paid, and the writing and music to make them, just as Dave Matthews Band is to Rock, a converging-point for so many fans of music, verse and ambiance. The only drawback is that a summer passed before one of the year's would-have-been essential summer albums hit shelves. Yet, country fried leftovers have always been just about as good as they were the first day.

Listen to single "Chicken Fried" here.

Listen to "Free," another track here.

Listen to "Jolene," the band's cover of the Ray LaMontagne hit here.

Listen to "Highway 20 Ride," A ballad from "The Foundation" here.

Watch the video for "Chicken Fried" here.

Watch the band perform "Whatever It Is" live here.