God & Guns

God & Guns
Studio album by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Released	September 29, 2009
Recorded	2008–2009 in Blackbird Studios, Nashville, Tennessee; Studio Sea, Fort Myers, Florida; Sound Kitchen, Franklin, Tennessee;
Genre	Southern rock, blues rock, heavy metal, country rock, hard rock
Length	49:32
Label	Roadrunner
Producer	Bob Marlette
Lynyrd Skynyrd chronology
Vicious Cycle (2003) God & Guns (2009) Last of a Dyin' Breed (2012)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
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. Hughie Thomasson contributed to the writing of many songs, including this first single, before his death. "Still Unbroken" was written after the death of original bassist Leon Wilkeson in 2001.^[3] The album features guitar work from John 5.^[4] It is also the last Lynyrd Skynyrd album to feature the band's longtime keyboardist Billy Powell, who died in January 2009. Ean Evans, who replaced Leon Wilkeson on bass, also died before this album came out. This album is the first with Mark Matejka and Peter Keys, and the only album with 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.

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]

Tracks

1. "Still Unbroken" (Rickey Medlocke, Gary Rossington, Hughie Thomasson, Johnny Van Zant) - 5:06
2. "Simple Life" (Medlocke, Rossington, Jeffrey Steele, J. Van Zant) - 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

• Johnny Van Zant – lead vocals
• Gary Rossington – guitars
• Rickey Medlocke – guitars, backing vocals
• Mark Matejka – guitars, backing vocals
• Ean Evans – bass, backing vocals
• Robert Kearns – bass, backing vocals
• Michael Cartellone – drums
• Billy Powell – keyboards
• Peter Keys – keyboards

Additional personnel

• John 5 - guitars
• Rob Zombie - vocals on "Floyd"
• Michael Rhodes
• Greg Morrow
• Perry Coleman
• Jerry Douglas
• Bob Marlette
• The Honkettes (Dale Krantz Rossington & Carol Chase) - Back Vocals

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

References