God & Guns
Studio album by
Lynyrd Skynyrd
ReleasedSeptember 29, 2009
Recorded2008–09 in Blackbird Studios, Nashville, Tennessee; Studio Sea, Fort Myers, Florida; Sound Kitchen, Franklin, Tennessee;
Genre
Length49:32
LabelRoadrunner
ProducerBob Marlette
Lynyrd Skynyrd chronology
Greatest Hits
(2008)		 God & Guns
(2009)		 Live from Freedom Hall
(2010)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
MusicReview[2]

God & Guns is the thirteenth studio album by the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on September 29, 2009.

The single "Still Unbroken" was released on July 27, 2009 followed by another track, "Simple Life", on August 4, 2009. "Still Unbroken" was written after the death of original bassist Leon Wilkeson in 2001.[3] It was the theme song of WWE’s Breaking Point PPV event and is featured on WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010.

"God & Guns" was the last Lynyrd Skynyrd album to feature the band's longtime keyboardist Billy Powell, who died in January 2009. Ean Evans, who had replaced Leon Wilkeson on bass, also died before this album came out. The late Hughie Thomasson (Dec. 2007) had contributed to the writing of many songs, but recording did not begin until 2008 and he does not play on the album. This album is the first with guitarist Mark Matejka. The album features guitar work from John 5.[4]

Although neither was present on the album, the CD booklet contains a picture of the group with the two new members: Peter Keys on keyboards and Robert Kearns on bass.

The album's title comes from its eighth track, "God & Guns", written by Mark Stephen Jones, Travis Meadows and Bud Tower, which was later covered by Hank Williams Jr. for his 2016 album It's About Time. The lyrical shift from "Saturday Night Special" to "God & Guns" has been taken into account by band member Johnny Van Zant, who explained how the song was not a direct contradiction to "Saturday Night Special."[5]

God & Guns peaked at #18 on the U.S. Billboard pop charts, the band's highest-charting studio album since 1977's Street Survivors.[6] As of 2012, the album has sold 182,000 copies in the United States.[7]

Critical reception

Robert Christgau stated: "'You can take your change on down the road/And leave me here with mine,' Johnny Van Zant begins one of the two songs that take up the title theme after has run through the pleasures of home, the perfidy of woman, and the mixed blessings of the music business for the umpteenth time. Like the wary younger sibling he's always been, Johnny will always hold onto a quarter and settle for what he knows, or thinks he does. Really, he ought to have some inkling that nobody worthy of his trepidation wants to ban hunting, burn the Bible, or slam old Uncle Sam, although actually that no smoking sign means exactly what it says. On the other hand, 'Unwrite That Song' would make a nice B side for Darius Rucker."[8]

Track listing

  1. "Still Unbroken" (Rickey Medlocke, Gary Rossington, Hughie Thomasson, Johnny Van Zant) – 5:06
  2. "Simple Life" (Medlocke, Rossington, Jeffrey Steele, J. Van Zant, Hughie Thomasson) – 3:17
  3. "Little Thing Called You" (John Lowery, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 3:58
  4. "Southern Ways" (Lowery, Bob Marlette, Medlocke) – 3:48
  5. "Skynyrd Nation" (Lowery, Marlette, Medlocke, J. Van Zant) – 3:52
  6. "Unwrite That Song" (Medlocke, Tony Mullins, Rossington, Steele, J. Van Zant) – 3:50
  7. "Floyd" (Lowery, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 4:03
  8. "That Ain't My America" (Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant, Brad Warren, Brett Warren) – 3:44
  9. "Comin' Back for More" (Blair Daly, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 3:28
  10. "God & Guns" (Mark Stephen Jones, Travis Meadows, Bud Tower) – 5:44
  11. "Storm" (Lowery, Marlette, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 3:15
  12. "Gifted Hands" (Lowery, Marlette, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 5:22
Special Edition Disc 2
  1. "Bang Bang" (Trey Bruce, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 3:10
  2. "Raining in My Heartland" (Bruce, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 3:54
  3. "Hobo Kinda Man" (Bruce, Medlocke, Rossington, J. Van Zant) – 3:53
  4. "Red, White, & Blue" (Live) (Donnie Van Zant, J. Van Zant, Brad Warren, Brett Warren) – 5:42
  5. "Call Me the Breeze" (Live) (J.J. Cale) – 5:49
  6. "Sweet Home Alabama" (Live) (Ed King, Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant) – 6:25
  • Live Tracks Recorded 6/15/2007 at the Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY

Personnel

Lynyrd Skynyrd
Additional personnel

Strings on "Unwrite That Song" and "Gifted Hands" arranged by Lisa Parade

Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[9] 91
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 79
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 26
French Albums (SNEP)[12] 64
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 37
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[14] 38
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[15] 38
UK Albums (OCC)[16] 36
US Billboard 200[17] 18
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[18] 9

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ MusicReview review
  3. ↑ Still Unbroken Songfacts
  4. ↑ "God & Guns" Archived April 20, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Lynyrd Skynyrd Track by Track 5 – "Comin' Back for More" & "God & Guns" Archived March 30, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Lynyrd Skynyrd - Chart History". billboard.com. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Upcoming Releases 2013". Hits Daily Double. September 6, 2012. Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  8. ↑ Robert Christgau: CG: Lynyrd Skynyrd
  9. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Lynyrd Skynyrd – God & Guns" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Lynyrd Skynyrd – God & Guns" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Lynyrd Skynyrd: God & Guns" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Lynyrd Skynyrd – God & Guns". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Lynyrd Skynyrd – God & Guns" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Lynyrd Skynyrd – God & Guns". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  15. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Lynyrd Skynyrd – God & Guns". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Lynyrd Skynyrd | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  18. ↑ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
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