New Jimmy Buffett album on its way

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. recording artist Jimmy Buffett says "Buffet Hotel," his first studio album since 2006, is set for release Dec. 8.

"I actually didn't go to the desert with the pre-conceived notion of returning with an album. I went looking for stories. And stories are still the things good songs are made of," Buffet said in a news release Wednesday. "The story that sparked the song 'Buffet Hotel,' which eventually turned into the title track and name of this album, began the minute we set foot on the patio of the infamous Hotel De La Gare Buffet in the Bamako train station, better known as Le Buffet Hotel."

Produced by Coral Reefers Mike Utley and Mac McAnally, the album features 12 new songs plus a 24-page booklet. Inside, fans will find "Lost in the Sahara -- A Desert Memoir From Jimmy Buffett," a detailed description of his adventures in Mali, which inspired the record, plus liner notes for each song. The album was recorded in London, Nashville, Chicago, Long Island, Muscle Shoals and Bamako in Mali.