We’re all about local folks breaking the national barrier, so here’s another to add to the list.
The bestselling Rock & Alternative album in the country, Evanescence’s The Bitter Truth, has a Fort Worth connection. Hitting No. 1 on iTunes in 22 countries, the 12-song collection on the major label BMG is the band’s first full-length of new material in a decade and includes contributions from Fort Worthian Will B. Hunt. The former producer of and part-time drummer for the Burning Hotels, one of the greatest bands ever to come from North Texas, period — don’t even ask — co-wrote the tracks “Yeah, Right,” “Feeding the Dark,” and “Take Cover.”
It’s not the first time Hunt has worked with the band or its frontwoman, Amy Lee. He co-produced Lee’s Recover, Vol. 1, a 2016 EP of cover songs, and her children’s music album of the same year, Dream Too Much, among other collaborations. Evanescence’s The Bitter Truth is the only No. 1 rock album by a female-fronted band so far this year.
Recorded during the lockdown, the LP “confronts the dark realities of the world head-on,” says the band, “yet its resounding message is one of light: Pushing through is better than giving up.” — A.M.
Contact HearSay at anthony@fwweekly.com.