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Botanical Gardens is McLean’s 19th studio album, and first in eight years, is arguably one of his most reflective to date. As he characterizes it, “The inspiration for the project started years ago when I would walk in the beautiful gardens in Sydney, Australia near the Opera House. 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.” Further reflecting on the record, McLean says, “the whole album really revolves around the title song. Later on I realized that the gardens are really a metaphorical heaven, and there’s a kind of death and rebirth.”
Intimacy can be found at the heart of this record, with McLean penning personal numbers looking back on a life well-lived, as well as his observations on youth and love. Recording at Watershed Studios in Nashville also allowed a different kind of intimacy for McLean and his band, as they were made to “play close and feel the music”, resulting in a raw, yet tight sound throughout. In nearly 50 years, McLean’s songs have become an iconic staple of American music. His music has been performed by artists as diverse as Elvis Presley, Madonna, Fred Astaire, Drake, James Blake, Chet Atkins, Garth Brooks, Weird Al Yankovic, George Michael, Josh Groban, Ellie Goulding, Coolio and Ed Sheeran.