Country superstar Alan Jackson releases his first album of all new music in six years today. Where Have You Gone features 21 songs – 15 of them written by the Songwriters Hall of Fame member himself. It’s his 16^th studio album – the 25^th in a career that includes two Christmas albums, two gospel albums, three Greatest Hits collections, a bluegrass album, and one boxed set. Longtime producer Keith Stegall again plays that role on Where Have You Gone.

“Some of the greatest tracks I feel like we’ve made. We pulled in guys from that played on my record for 20, 30 years and came in there and they’re some of the best real country players in town and they hadn’t had a chance to play on a lot of real country stuff in the last few years as much and they were excited to do it,” says Alan. “I was overwhelmed by it.  First time (Keith Stegall) sent me three tracks I hadn’t heard anything since the studio ,and I about had to pull my truck over I was about to tear up because I just loved the way it all sounded, the songs and the tracks and everything was just what I wanted to do.”

“The plain-spoken wordsmith sings about fatherly love, once-in-a-lifetime loss and the barn-burnin’ honky-tonk music that remains near his heart,” notes USA Today. “Where Have You Gone is the quiet superstar’s rebuke to those who would forget the roots of where this music comes from,” says HITS magazine, while Rolling Stone calls Where Have You Gone “a sprawling 21-track compilation that finds the Country Music Hall of Fame member reflecting on the state of his beloved genre, paying tribute to his late mother, and, in some songs, simply having a honky-tonking good time.”

Jackson will mark today’s release of Where Have You Gone with a performance of “Way Down In My Whiskey” from the album this evening on NBC’s Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (11:35pm ET/10:35pm CT). On Sunday, May 30, Jackson will appear as part of the National Memorial Day Concert on PBS (8:00pm ET). He’s currently featured on Apple Music’s Essentials Radio, reflecting on his life and career with host Kelleigh Bannen.

Led by the self-penned title track, Where Have You Gone is highlighted by such songs as the poignant and thoughtful “Things That Matter,” the heartache-filled “Way Down in My Whiskey” and the tender “I Can Be That Something.” Never one to shy away from reflecting real life in his music, “You’ll Always Be My Baby” and “I Do” were written for his daughters’ weddings…while “Where Her Heart Has Always Been” was written for his mother’s funeral and includes a recording of her reading from The Bible. There’s also plenty of fun to be had on barnburners like “Livin’ On Empty,” “Back” and “Beer:10.” And, in the spirit of the album’s overall sound, “That’s The Way Love Goes (A Tribute to Merle Haggard)” is a bonus track.

“Real country songs are life and love and heartache, drinking and Mama and having a good time,” the Country Music Hall of Fame member says. “You listen to these songs, and you realize these things are true,” he adds. “I just love this kind of music.”

ALAN JACKSON’S WHERE HAVE YOU GONE Track List:

1. “Where Have You Gone” (Alan Jackson)
2. “Wishful Drinkin’” (Alan Jackson)
3. “I Can Be That Something” (Alan Jackson)
4. “Where the Cottonwood Grows” (Alan Jackson)
5. “Way Down In My Whiskey” (Alan Jackson)
6. “Things That Matter” (Robert Keith Stegall, Michael White)
7. “Livin’ On Empty” (Alan Jackson)
8. “You’ll Always Be My Baby (Written for Daughters’ Weddings)” (Alan Jackson)
9. “Where Her Heart Has Always Been (Written for Mama’s funeral with an old recording of her reading from The Bible)” (Alan Jackson)
10. “The Boot” (Adam Wright)
11. “Back” (Alan Jackson)
12. “Write It In Red” (Alan Jackson)
13. “So Late So Soon” (Scotty Emerick, Daniel Tashian, Sarah Buxton)
14. “This Heart Of Mine” (Adam Wright)
15. “A Man Who Never Cries” (Alan Jackson)
16. “Chain” (Alan Jackson)
17. “I Was Tequila” (Alan Jackson)
18. “I Do (Written for Daughters’ Weddings)” (Alan Jackson)
19. “Beer:10” (Alan Jackson)
20. “The Older I Get”* (Hailey Whitters, Adam Wright, Sarah Turner)
    Extra Track: “That’s The Way Love Goes” (A Tribute to Merle Haggard) (Lefty Frizzell, Whitey Shafer)

Produced by Robert Keith Stegall
*Produced by Keith Stegall

ABOUT ALAN JACKSON:
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and an inductee to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Alan Jackson’s membership among music’s all-time greats is part of a long line of career-defining accolades that include three CMA Entertainer of the Year honors, 30 years of membership in the Grand Ole Opry, a Billboard ranking as one of the Top 10 Country Artists of All-Time, induction to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and the Heritage Award as the most-performed country songwriter-artist of ASCAP’s first 100 years.

The man from rural Newnan, GA has sold nearly 60-million albums worldwide, ranks as one of the 10 best-selling male vocalists of all-time (rock, pop and country). He has released more than 60 singles – registering 50 Top Ten hits and 35 #1s (including 26 Billboard chart-toppers). He has earned more than 150 major music industry awards – including 19 Academy of Country Music Awards, 16 Country Music Association Awards, a pair of Grammys and ASCAP’s Founders and Golden Note Awards.

Jackson is one of the most successful and respected singer-songwriters in music. He’s also the man behind one of Nashville’s most-popular tourist stops, AJ’s Good Time Bar, a four-story honky-tonk in the heart of downtown featuring daily live music and a rooftop view of Music City.