BMGDon McLean‘s extensive catalog will continue to grow with the release his first new studio album in more than eight years, Botanical Gardens, on March 23. The 13-track collection finds the famed singer/songwriter reflecting on love and aging, as well as reminiscing about his youth.
“The inspiration for the project started years ago when I would walk in the beautiful gardens in Sydney, Australia, near the Opera House,” McLean explains. “I would dream young dreams and it was a comfort and an inspiration. I was always young inside, like we all are, and I felt it again there.”
He adds that the entire album “really revolves around the title song, noting, “Later on, I realized that the gardens are really a metaphorical heaven, and there’s a kind of death and rebirth.”
Botanical Gardens was recorded with his backing band at Watershed Studios in Nashville. The album is available for pre-order now, and fans who place an advance order for the digital version of the record will receive the title track as an immediate free download.
In other news, McLean recently was presented with an award from performing-rights organization BMI certifying his classic 1971 songs “American Pie” and “Vincent,” respectively, with 5 million airplays and 3 million airplays.
McLean has about a 20 confirmed U.S. shows on his tour schedule, spanning from a February 18-19 stand in Viera, Florida, all the way through a February 9, 2019, concert in Hartford, Connecticut. He’ll also mount a lengthy tour of the U.K. and Ireland this year that runs from late April to mid-June.
Here’s the track list of Botanical Gardens:
“Botanical Gardens”
“The Lucky Guy”
“A Total Eclipse of the Sun”
“The Waving Man”
“When July Comes”
“You’re All I Ever Had”
“Rock and Roll Your Baby”
“I’ve Cried All the Tears That I Have”
“Ain’t She a Honey”
“The King of Fools”
“Grief and Hope”
“You’ve Got Such Beautiful Eyes”
“Last Night When We Were Young”
And here are all of McLean’s upcoming U.S. shows, according to his official website:
2/15 — Viera, FL, Space Coast Daily Park
2/16 — Viera, FL, Space Coast Daily Park
2/17 — The Woodlands, TX, The Big Barn
2/23 — Bonita Springs, FL, Southwest Florida Event Center
3/2 — Mesa, AZ, Mesa Arts Center – Ikeda Theatre
3/3 — Beverly Hills, CA, Saban Theatre
3/10 — Redding, CA, The Cascade Theatre
3/23 — New York, NY, City Winery
4/13 — East Greenwich, RI, Greenwich Odeum
4/14 — Alexandria, VA, The Birchmere
7/21 — Ridgefield, CT, Ridgefield Playhouse
7/27 — Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall
7/28 — Clearwater, FL, Capitol Theatre
8/11 — Berkeley, CA, Freight & Salvage
8/19 — Chicago, IL, City Winery
8/24 — Steamboat Springs, CO, Strings Music Pavilion
9/8 — Westbury, NY, NYCB Theatre at Westbury
9/22 — Derry, NH, Tupelo Music Hall
11/17 — Tarrytown, NY, Tarrytown Music Hall
1/15/19 — Oakland, CA, Yoshi’s Oakland
2/9 — Hartford, CT, Infinity Hall
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