Whatever It Is

"Whatever It Is," the Zac Brown Band's latest, is no "Chicken Fried"—the group's breakthrough No. 1 country 2008 hit. And that's a good thing. Not because there's anything wrong with that singalong, toe-tapping release, but because the new single proves the band is no one-trick pony. While "Chicken Fried" extolled the virtues of cold beer and life's other simple pleasures, "Whatever It Is" is a love song, pure and simple, meshing a traditional fiddle-laden sound and modern country harmonies, as lead singer Brown at times channels James Taylor. The result is another stone-cold smash for country's latest breakthrough band. —Ken Tucker