Van Zant, the sibling duo featuring Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman Johnny Van Zant and ex-38 Special member Donnie Van Zant, have announced plans to release their first-ever gospel album. Always Look Up, which is due out on November 22, is an 11-track collection mixing spiritual themes with Southern-rock sounds.
The album, which can be pre-ordered now, will be available on CD, as a vinyl LP, and via streaming services.
“This has been on our bucket list for quite some time to do a gospel record,” Donnie said in a statement. “[Johnny and I are] both big believers in Jesus Christ, so that’s really how it started.”
Among the musicians who contributed to Always Look Up is longtime Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Mark Matejka.
Always Look Up is Van Zant’s first full-length studio album since their 2007 country project, My Kind of Country. More recently, the brothers teamed up in 2022 to release the single “Sweet Florida,” which pays tribute to the governor of their home state, Ron DeSantis.
[RELATED: Rickey Medlocke Reveals Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Plans for a New Album in Tribute of Late Guitarist Gary Rossington]
Coinciding with the album announcement, Van Zant has released a new track called “There You Are” as an advance single. The duo also has debuted an official video for the song at the Frontiers Music label’s YouTube channel.
The tune is an uplifting Christian-rock anthem featuring Johnny and Donnie duetting as they sing the praises of their savoir.
“There You Are” is the second advance tune made available from the forthcoming album. In August, Van Zant released “Jesus Christ,” a spiritual power ballad that tells the Biblical story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection.
Johnny and Donnie on Their Faith and the New Album
In a press release about the new album, Johnny discussed has sometimes rocky path to embracing his Christian faith.
“I’ll be honest with you, the devil was my best friend at one time,” he admitted. “I’m not gonna lie about that and there ain’t too much that I didn’t try over the years, but I always kept hearing our dad speaking the Bible [in my mind]. Our dad should’ve been a preacher, because boy when he started talking the gospel, you didn’t get up and move.”
Johnny continued, “Of course as kids, I think we listened to half of it and tried to consume what we could, so that was always in the back of my head.”
He added, “I always believed in Jesus Christ, but I wasn’t saved and I felt like I had my personal connection. … Over the years, that voice of my dad was reminding me to try to be a better person. I made lots of mistakes, lots of things that hopefully I don’t get to the pearly gates and they’re closed for me. I’m trying to get through them now!”
Donnie, meanwhile, talked about his and his brother’s approach to writing songs for the new album.
“We’ve tried our very best to just write about truth, about people, about problems and situations and just try to be true to ourselves,” he explained. “We don’t write nothing that’s B.S. We try to touch people emotionally and spiritually. If we can do that, I think we’ve done our jobs.”
About the Van Zants’ Upcoming Plans
Donnie Van Zant retired from 38 Special in 2013 for health reasons and hasn’t toured since then. Johnny’s main gig since 1987 has been fronting Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Skynyrd currently is on the road with ZZ Top on the latest leg of their Sharp Dressed Simple Man co-headlining tour. The outing is plotted out through a September 28 show in Colorado Spring, Colorado.
Skynyrd also has a few headlining shows and festival gigs lined up. They include a September 24 concert in Anchorage, Alaska, a September 29 show in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and an October 5 appearance at the Field & Stream Fest in Winnsboro Mills, South Carolina.
Always Look Up Track List:
- “Awesome God”
- “Stand Up”
- “Warrior”
- “There You Are”
- “Speak His Name”
- “Why God Brought Me Here”
- “Praying”
- “It’s Up to You”
- “Holy Moment”
- “Leaning on the Cross”
- “Jesus Christ”
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