Jimmy Buffett New CD - Buffet Hotel Coming Dec. 8

11.13.09 Buffet Hotel will be available December 8th! A brand new studio album, named for an old colonial era train station/hotel Jimmy ran across in Timbuktu, Mali during a trip to the "Festival In The Desert," will feature Summerzcool, A Lot To Drink About, Surfing In a Hurricane and 9 other new songs! The title track has a strong West African influence and was conceived during that same trip to Mali for the music festival. "It was one of the best musical experiences of my life," said Jimmy. The Buffet Hotel was the venue for the music scene that exploded in Mali after its independence in 1960. In addition to the Coral Reefer Band, the album also includes guest artists Sonny Landreth, Jake Shimabukuro, Cedric Burnside, Steve "Lightnin'" Malcome and Toumani Diabate. Produced by Mike Utley and Mac McAnally, the release also features a 24-page booklet with lyrics, stories behind the song, and how Jimmy went to West Africa looking for stories, and returned with an album. "...Stories are still the things good songs are made of," said Jimmy. Buffet Hotel is available for pre-order at MailboatRecords.com, and will be available everywhere on December 8th!

Update on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 8:54AM by Bill Davis

12.09.09 Jimmy's audio commentary now available! Listen to previews of Jimmy's stories behind the Buffet Hotel songs online at MailboatRecords.com, where these audio liner notes are also available for download! Check 'em out now!

Update on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 8:55AM by Bill Davis

12.08.09 Reviews and articles about Buffet Hotel Miami Herald: "A Jimmy Buffett fan we know heard that the singer's new CD is good, but he needed convincing. "Is it good like License to Chill [2004] was good," he sniffed, "or is it GOOD like ['70s classics] A1A, Havana Daydreaming, Son of a Son of a Sailor?" Rest assured, Parrotheads. Buffet Hotel -- out Tuesday and inspired by a trip the 62-year-old Buffett took to Timbuktu, Mali, for a music festival and a sign he saw in a train station for the Le Buffet Hotel -- ranks among his best work." Read the rest of the review here! USA Today Buffet Hotel is his first studio album in three years. He fell in love with the Buffet Hotel de la Gare, a train station in a beautiful old building in Bamako, Mali, in West Africa, in 2007. The colorful place was where the music scene flourished in Mali after its independence in 1960. "It's like visiting the Opry of Africa." While there for the annual Festival In the Desert music event near Timbuktu, Jimmy wound up jamming at the hotel and other clubs until the wee hours. "It was 36 hours of one of the best musical runs of my life and thus left a pretty interesting impression." You can see a behind-the-scenes slideshow at Margaritaville.com. And for those diehard Parrotheads, don't worry, you might hear some of the blues influence of the Africa trip on Buffet Hotel, but the album has plenty of classic Buffett songs, including Summerzcool, which Jimmy played at his concerts all summer long. Read the rest of the interview here!