Zz Top - Zz Top Releasing First Album In Nine Years

The Tush hitmakers have been on a recording hiatus since 2003's Mescalero, but guitarist Billy Gibbons announced last year (11) that the group had begun work on its long-awaited disc and planned to have it on sale by the end of 2011.

The project never materialised, but the stars have now locked down a September (12) release date for their 15th studio album, La Futura, which will feature songs produced by both Gibbons and the iconic Rick Rubin.

Discussing the album, Gibbons says, "We thought long and hard about what this album should be. We wanted to recall the directness of our early stuff but not turn our backs on contemporary technology. The result of this melding of the past and the present is, of course, La Futura."