Hanson, their continuous search of independence has been rewarded in 1997 as the youngest songwriters nominated for Grammy awards in history with the single "Mmmbop", performed live at Carnegie Hall with the Underneath Acoustic Tour in 2003 and released one of the best self-produced albums of all time Underneath in 2004, Hanson has paved the road. The new studio album, The Walk, is the best testimony to the pioneering and independent spirit of the band. In 2004 the New York Post praised them saying, "Hanson has established itself as a rock band whose best years and music are still to come." With The Walk, Isaac, Taylor and Zac Hanson are on track.
The 2004, the album Underneath was well received by critics, took them to No. 1 on the indie charts of 'Billboard'. Made from their own label 3CG Records Underneath proved Hanson remains a major band in today's music scene reaching the 2 ° single in the U.S. and top 10 single in Britain with the song, "Penny and Me". The success of Underneath as an independent was in stark contrast to the arduous process by which the band had separated under the corporate umbrella of their majors. This struggle, to terminate the contract with Mercury Records and start their own independent label, was captured in Strong Enough to Break, a documentary selected for the Hollywood Film Festival and programs of study in music school of NYU and USC.
Their new album The Walk was co-produced with Danny Kortchmar (Billy Joel, Don Henley, Carole King, James Taylor). The result is an album independent with regard to the sound that for his message. "Every song of The Walk has a direct connection with something or someone for whom we nourish a passion," says Taylor.
"Many songs were recorded live 'off-the-floor' in their beginning," says Isaac. "It ends up capturing the true essence of what the band is. There was not some record company telling us how it should sound or feel, or what songs we should be focusing on. This is the reason why we left the label while we were working on Underneath. It is our music. This new album was done from the beginning in how all records should be done. "
The concept of their new album, The Walk, was inspired not only by personal experiences of the last 2 years, including the birth of her third child of Taylor and marriages for both Isaac and Zac, but also their beliefs. In an unconventional move first of all, Hanson published in 2007, the song "Great Divide" song as an exclusive on the internet for World AIDS Day, 1 December. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the song, sung by South African children's choir and recorded during the trip to South Africa and Mozambique in July 2006, has been referred to the Perinatal HIV Unit of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa ( hivsa.com), and all royalties related to this passage, also in the future continue to be donated.
Hanson released their first independent album in 1995, foreshadowing their future as the pioneers of indie music. The album contained the smash hit Mmmbop, written by Hanson independently before signing with their label and without any outside influence. The band signed with Mercury Records which released in 1997 the Grammy-nominated "Middle of Nowhere", selling 8 million albums and an international hit single "Mmmbop." The song was praised by Bono in an interview with CD: UK as "gorgeous." The band continued with "This Time Around" in 2000 and "Underneath" in 2004.
Now 11 years after the first Mercury release the band has returned to his musical beginnings as an independent band, drawing from their R & B and Rock and roll influences as they continue to improve their sound. "There is a very strong sound on this record," says Taylor. "You can hear Ike’s guitar, and in its strings. We are coming back to our roots. "
The album The Walk was released by the independent Italian label PLANET RECORDS on March 21st, 2008.
Last Updated: December 30th, 2008
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